4/14/2025 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has delivered a landmark ruling against blasphemy laws in Nigeria, declaring certain provisions of the Kano State Penal Code and the Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law (2000) incompatible with international human rights standards, particularly the right to freedom of expression. 

The judgment, issued on April 9, follows years of growing concern over the misuse of blasphemy laws to justify mob killings and state-sanctioned punishments — most often targeting religious minorities, especially Christians. 

The court declared that Section 210 of the Kano State Penal Code and Section 382(b) of the Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law (2000) violate Nigeria’s obligations under Article 9(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the right to free expression. It further ordered the Federal Republic of Nigeria to repeal or amend these legal provisions and other similar laws to comply with its international obligations. 

The judgment was delivered by a judicial panel consisting of Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves (presiding judge), Hon. Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma (member), and Hon. Justice Dupe Atoki (judge rapporteur). 

This ruling comes against the backdrop of increasing attacks on Christians accused of blasphemy across Nigeria. One of the most horrifying examples remains the brutal killing of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Christian student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto, who was stoned and burned to death by her classmates in May 2022. Her only “crime” was posting a WhatsApp message perceived as insulting to Islam. Despite widespread condemnation, no one has been held accountable for her murder. 

In Bauchi state, another Christian woman, Rhoda Jatau, a health worker, was arrested and detained in May 2022 after posting a video condemning Deborah’s murder. Rhoda spent more than 18 months in prison without trial before her recent release, showcasing the state’s complicity in criminalizing free speech while emboldening mob violence against Christians. Other mob actions against Christians include: 

• The lynching of Gideon Akaluka in Kano in 1994 by a mob that stormed a police cell and beheaded him. 
• The burning alive of Christian traders in Niger state accused of blasphemy in 2016. 
• In 2023, an entire Christian family in Kaduna state was targeted after a false allegation of blasphemy against their teenage son on Facebook. 

According to Amnesty International Nigeria, at least 91 people have been victims of mob action under a religious pretext between 2017 and 2024, most of whom were Christians or from religious minority groups.   

“Mob justice has become a weapon of fear in Nigeria,” Amnesty stated in its 2024 report. “State authorities often fail to investigate or prosecute those involved, creating a culture of impunity.” 

The human rights organization further reported that police often stand by during such mob attacks or arrest the victims instead of the perpetrators. These patterns are worsened in northern Nigeria, where Sharia legal frameworks are enforced alongside law, often targeting Christians with little regard for due process. 

The ECOWAS court’s ruling is being hailed as a significant victory by local and international human rights groups. However, legal experts stress that unless Nigeria acts swiftly to amend or repeal these laws, the judgment will remain symbolic. 

“Nigeria cannot claim to uphold the rule of law while retaining legislation that legitimizes the killing or imprisonment of citizens for expressing their beliefs,” said Barr. Chidi Odinkalu, a prominent human rights advocate and former chair of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission. “The judgment sends a strong message not only to Nigerian authorities but also to other West African countries where religious extremism and blasphemy-related violence are escalating.” 

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