A Nigerian musician has been sentenced to death by an Islamic court in northern Nigeria for committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad in a song he shared over Whatsapp.
Yahaya Aminu Sharif, 22, a resident of Kano city in the state capital Kano, was handed the death sentence on Monday.
His song, shared on the messaging platform in March, caused riots throughout the city.
Protesters burnt down his family home demanding his prosecution, leading to his arrest.
The singer went into hiding after sharing the song, which praised an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood to the point where it gave him a higher status than the Prophet Muhammad.
The prosecutor, Inspector Aminu Yargoje, described the verdict as fair and said it would prevent future blasphemy in the state.
Judge Khadi Aliyu Muhammad Kani said he could appeal against the verdict.
States across Muslim-majority northern Nigeria use both secular law and Sharia law, which does not apply to non-Muslims.
Only one of the death sentences passed by Nigeria's Sharia courts has been carried out since they were reintroduced in 1999.
The court also sentenced a 13-year-old boy, Umar Farouq, to 10 years in prison for making derogatory statements toward Allah in an argument with a friend.
Ibrahim said the court considered the boy's age as a minor and handed him the prison sentence 'as penitence and to make him reform'.
Kano, in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria, has Islamic sharia courts that function alongside civil courts and introduced sharia law in 2000.
Several sentences have been passed, including for women convicted of having extramarital sex - cases which have caused widespread condemnation.
Twelve states in Nigeria's Muslim-dominated north operate the Sharia system of justice, but only Muslims can be tried in its courts.
If a case involves a Muslim and a non-Muslim, the non-Muslim has the option of choosing where they want the case to be tried.
The Sharia court can only hear the case if the non-Muslim gives written consent.
Sentences handed down by the courts include floggings, amputations and the death penalty.
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