In the first such conviction of its kind in Nigeria, Sheish Nyass has been sentenced to death by hanging after the judge found him guilty of the charges presented by prosecutor Lamido Abba Soron-Dinki. Sheikh Nyass caused public outrage last May when he allegedly made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad to his followers as they marked the birthday of the former leader of the Muslim Tijaniyya Sufi order, Ibrahim Niasse.
He was arrested in Abuja in August where he was in hiding and was brought back to Kano for his trial and following the commencement of the trial, five of his followers were sentenced to death last year. These are the first death sentences for blasphemy handed down by a Nigerian Sharia court.
Mr Soron-Dinki said: “He has up to a month to appeal the sentence. It is most likely he is going for an appeal.”
Sheikh Nyass is a preacher of a local faction of the Tijaniya sect, founded in Senegal by Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, who has a large following across West Africa. He was reported to have said that Niasse was bigger than Prophet Muhammad, leading to violent protests across Kano.
Kano has a predominately Muslim population and Islamic courts operate alongside secular courts. The Sufi sect of Tijaniya was founded in Algeria in 1784 by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tijani and it spread all over the world, with large following in North and West Africa and also has followers in South Africa, Indonesia and other parts of the world.
There are other Sufi sects in Islam but Tijaniya is the largest. They have three main daily practices which include asking the forgiveness of God, sending prayers to the Prophet Muhammad and affirming the oneness of Allah.
Senegalese-born Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse was credited with reviving the sect in the 20th century and pilgrims travel from across the continent to visit his shrine. Tijaniya have several factions including the Haqiqa group, whose members were convicted of blasphemy in Kano.
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