Nigeria: Fuen Allah, 13-year-old sentenced to ten years in prison

International Child Rights Organization U n NICEF criticised the Nigerian Court's decision of Sheriat, under which a 13-year-old was sentenced to ten years in prison for blasphemy.

A Sheriat court in the state of Kano in northwestern Nigeria sentenced Omar Farouq on August 10th after he was accused of using ugly words about Allah during a debate with a friend.

The sentence pronounced 13-year-old Farouchus violates the African Bill for Children's Rights and the Nigerian Constitution” itself, said Kola Alapini, the boy's lawyer.

Given the fact that Farouq has entered puberty, according to Islamic law, he takes full responsibility for his work, and is tried as an adult.

Alapin told CNN that state authorities did not allow the boy access to him or other lawyers and that he learned of his trial by chance while working for another instance of accusations of blasphemy.

We learned that in the same court he was sentenced by the same judge for blasphemy, so we immediately launched an appeal. Nigerian law does not recognise the crime of blasphemy, does not comply with the constitution,” said Alapini.

The lawyer added that the boy's mother left the city after a mass of people began entering her angry home because of blasphemy.

Everyone here is afraid to speak and live in fear of revenge,” he added.

U n NICEF issued a statement yesterday expressing “deep concern” on the sentence.

“Designation of 13-year-old Omar Farouq, with 10 years in prison, is wrong. He denies all fundamental principles of children's rights signed by Nigeria, and thus the state of Kano,” said Peter Hawkings, representative of U n NICEF in Nigeria.

The federal state of Kano, like most of the predominantly Muslim states in Nigeria, implements Sheriat's law except for secular law.