Mubarak Bala, a Kano-born atheist, was sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to all 18 counts leveled against him.

Bala, the president of the Nigerian Humanist Association, was arrested at his house in Kaduna on April 28, 2020, and taken to Kano, where he was charged with blasphemy and incitement.

He has previously made anti-Islam, anti-Allah, and anti-Prophet Muhammad statements on Facebook, prompting Muslim fury.

One of his posts reads: “Religion is not a person, long dead people are dead, Gods do not exist, so why fear analysis & critique on works attributed to them?

On Tuesday, April 5, Bala appeared before Justice Farouk Lawan of Kano High Court 4, Audu Bako Secretariat, and pled guilty to all charges.

Mr Bala refused to change his plea when the judge questioned if he was aware of the repercussions of his guilty plea.

Mr Bala’s lawyer, James Ibor, had previously attempted to persuade his client to change his plea, but he refused and insisted on pleading guilty to the allegations.

The lawyer however cited frustration and fear as reasons for his client’s guilty plea, saying his client had been in prison for two years.

But Mr Bala, who appeared unruffled, raised his hand and told the court that he was guilty as charged.

In his plea of leniency, Mr Bala however, said the intent of his social media posts was not to cause violence. He therefore promised not to repeat the blasphemous posts in future.

Passing the sentence, Justice Lawan sentenced him to 24 years imprisonment.