US Calls for Release of Detained Kano Singer Yahaya Sharif-Aminu

The United States government has urged Nigerian authorities to release Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim singer who has been detained in Kano State since 2020 on blasphemy charges. This call was made by Riley M. Barnes, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, during his testimony before the Africa Subcommittee of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Barnes stated that the US is actively pressing for Sharif-Aminu's release and the cessation of blasphemy law enforcement in Nigeria. Sharif-Aminu, who was sentenced to death in August 2020 by a Shari’a High Court for a song deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad, has faced ongoing legal challenges.

His conviction was overturned in January 2021 due to procedural irregularities, and a retrial was ordered, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal in August 2022. His case remains unresolved as he appealed to the Supreme Court, which allowed his appeal to proceed in September 2025.