Following his release from prison having completed his jail term for blasphemy, Mubarak Bala, a self-proclaimed atheist said his life is still in danger. 

Bala, who was the president of the Humanist Association was arrested on April 28, 2020, at his home in Kaduna and taken to Kano after complaints of blasphemy against Islam and incitement were filed against him.

Bala was accused of inciting outrage among muslims and breaching public peace.

He was subsequently sentenced to 24 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the charges against him. 

However, Bala was not satisfied with the judgement as he instructed his lawyers to appeal the sentence on four grounds.

The four grounds of the appeal are: “Lack of jurisdiction of the Kano State High Court; the Judge’s predisposition to convict as indicated in the delivery of his ruling; failure to accord Bala the benefits of a guilty plea; and misapplication of law in sentencing Bala to consecutive terms.”

Consequently, his sentence was reduced after an appellate court deemed it excessive.

Following his release after spending four years in prison, Bala in an interview with the BBC said his life is still in danger.

“The freedom is here but also, there is an underlying threat that I will now have to face, probably all those years those threats are maybe out there while I was under the security system. The concern about my safety is always there,” he said.

When asked why he pleaded guilty to the charges, he said he decided to do so to protect himself and those connected to the case. 

“I believe that what I did then was saving not only my life but people in the state and especially those that were attached to my case, because they were also targets,” Bala said.

Vanguard News Nigeria