Nigerian man wants to die for blaspheming

Sharia has spread across northern Nigeria

A man has asked a Sharia court in northern Nigeria to give him the death penalty for blaspheming against the prophet Muhammad.

Aliyu Ibrahim, 20, from Adamawa State in north-eastern Nigeria travelled to Sokoto and asked the Upper Sharia Court Two there to prosecute him for blasphemy.

I want to be sentenced to death because my blasphemy still irritates me

Aliyu Ibrahim

"I blasphemed against the prophet in my mind and I was neither in any bad condition nor facing any predicament and was not forced by anybody to commit the offence," he told the News Agency of Nigeria.

His request for the death sentence comes at a time of growing controversy in Nigeria over the role of Sharia courts.

Click here for map of Sharia states

In a high-profile case, a young woman has appealed to a Sharia court in Funtua, northern Nigeria, against her sentence of being stoned to death, having been convicted of adultery.

The Nigerian Government has declared such strict Sharia punishments unconstitutional, but the northern Nigerian states which have instituted Sharia courts appear determined to enforce strict laws and punishments.

The introduction of Sharia law in 12 northern states has caused increased tension between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.

Several hundred people have died in clashes between the two religious communities in the last two years.

Infidel

Mr Ibrahim, who is disabled, is likely to undergo a psychological examination before the court takes further action.

The judge at the Sokoto Sharia court, Alhaji Bawa Sahabi Tambuwal, has ordered that his mental state be examined by a local hospital.

Mr Ibrahim's relatives were not aware of his trip to Sokoto, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The man himself appears determined to go ahead with his demand to be tried.

"Now, I want to be sentenced to death, because my blasphemy still irritates me and if I died without prosecution under Islamic law, I will die as an infidel," he said.

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