Nigerian Man Arrested By Police For Alleged Blasphemy Against Prophet Muhammad

The Police Command in Kaduna State has arrested a man identified as Mubarak Bala for alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post.

Naija News understands Bala was arrested at his residence in Kaduna followed a petition against him by a group of lawyers.

The lawyers in their petition to the Commissioner of Police in Kano State, said Bala should be prosecuted for his “inciting comments”.

The petition signed by one S.S. Umar reads, “We are submitting this complaint against one Mubarak Bala of Layin Masallacin Bilai, Karkasara Quarters, Kano.

“The said Mubarak was born and raised as a Muslim but for his own personal reason decided to leave Islam for atheism sometime in 2014 and has since then been writing stuff on his Facebook page that are provocative and annoying to the Muslims.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Kaduna State, Mohammed Jalige, said, “I cannot tell you anything about the offence, why he was arrested. We only received a signal that he should be arrested. It is not our case. The case is (for) Kano State Command.”

Asked if Bala would be transferred to the Kano command, Jalige said, “I don’t know actually. We are waiting for further directives from Kano State Command. He was arrested yesterday. He is in police custody currently.”

Bala is not a stranger to controversy as a check on his Facebook account revealed he also mocks Christian clerics, including the Prophet TB Joshua of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations.

Bala is expected to be prosecuted for blasphemy under the Sharia Penal Code.

It is understood by this online news medium that Bala was forcefully committed to the psychiatric hospital by his family in 2014 after he renounced Islam and became an atheist.

He was later discharged from the psychiatric hospital after he was declared sane.