SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, (THEWILL) – Mubarak Bala, President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, has been arrested in Kaduna in Northern Nigeria.
Two police officers, who were not in uniform took him from his residence, according to a person familiar with his arrest, saying he is being held at the Gbabasawa police station in the capital city of Kaduna State, where Nasiru El-rufai is Governor.
According to local sources, his arrest could be in connection with a charge of blasphemy. A group of lawyers did petition the Kano state command to prosecute Mubarak for insulting Prophet Muhammad on his Facebook page.
One S. S. Umar signed the petition. And this is how one Yusuf Jnr (@MrZage) commented on the petition on his tweeter account: “Some group of lawyers finally write a petition against that animal Mubarak Bala”. He described Mubarak as ‘an animal’.
Besides, there is also an online petition on change.org. Halima Sa’adiya Umar started the petition asking Facebook to close down the account of Mubarak Bala.
Bala will likely be handed over to the Kano state police command, that will prosecute him for blasphemy, a crime that caries a death sentence under sharia law.
The Humanist association has urge the Inspector General of Police and the state governor to ensure his immediate release.
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