EXTRA: Court orders mental evaluation of Kano cleric accused of blasphemy

An upper Shari’a court sitting in Kano has ordered that Abduljabbar Nasiru-Kabara, a sheikh, be taken to Dawanau Psychiatric Hospital for a mental evaluation.

Nasiru-Kabara is facing a four-count charge bordering on blasphemous comments against Prophet Muhammad. The charges were preferred against him by the Kano state government.

According to Suraj Sa’eda, prosecution counsel, the defendant allegedly committed the offence on August 10, October 25, and December 20, 2019.

Although the case was first brought to court through a First Information Report (FIR), Ibrahim Sarki-Yola, the judge, ordered that the charge be read to the defendant.

“First Information Report is not a charge. The charge is an allegation of a crime,” he said.

“Section 125(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) 2019, says in any trial, a prosecutor at any time may withdraw or add charge.

“I, therefore, terminate the FIR and order the new charge be read.”

However, the defendant refused to take his plea.

Saleh Muhammad-Bakaro, counsel to the defendant, opposed that the new charge be read to his client.

He asked the court to provide a copy of the records of all proceedings to enable him to appeal the ruling at the state high court.

Delivering a ruling, the judge said the defendant should be taken to the psychiatric hospital to ascertain his mental health.

Sarki-Yola also ordered that an ENT doctor at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano must carry out some tests on the defendant.

Sarki-Yola adjourned the matter until September 16, for the continuation of hearing.