The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned
the sentencing of 13-year-old Umar Farouq to 10 years in prison for blasphemy.
Umar was handed the harsh sentence by Aliyu Kanu, the same
judge who passed a death sentence on Kano musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu for
blasphemy, after being found guilty of using “disparaging language on Allah”
during a disagreement with his friend.
Reacting, Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in Nigeria in
a statement released on Wednesday condemned the ruling given by the Judge.
Hawkins said the sentence contradicts the United Nations
convention on the rights of the child which Nigeria ratified in 1991.
He also called on the Kano State government to urgently
reverse the sentencing.
“UNICEF today express deep concern about the sentencing of
13-year-old Omar Farouq to ten years’ imprisonment with menial labour by the
Kano State Sharia Court at Feli Hockey, Kano, in northern Nigeria.
“The sentencing of this child –13-year-old to 10 years in
prison with menial labour is wrong.
“It also negates all core underlying principles of child
rights and child justice that Nigeria and by implication, Kano State has signed
on to.
“The sentence is in contravention of the United Nations
Convention on the rights of the child, which Nigeria ratified in 1991.
“It is also a violation of the African charter on the rights
and welfare of the child which Nigeria ratified in 2001, and Nigeria’s Child
Rights Act 2003, which domesticates Nigeria’s international obligations to
protect children’s right to life, survival and development,” the statement
said.
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