Kano-based Islamic cleric, Abduljabbar Nasir Kabara, has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, alleging that judicial and government authorities deliberately obstructed his efforts to appeal the death sentence handed down against him for alleged blasphemy.

In a 14-page “Letter of Further Complaint” received at the Supreme Court of Nigeria on March 26, the cleric described his conviction as unjust and politically motivated, claiming it was designed to silence him.

SolaceBase reports that Kabara was convicted by an Upper Sharia Court in Kano in December 2022 and sentenced to death by hanging over remarks deemed blasphemous against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The verdict sparked intense debate across the state, where religious issues often generate strong public reactions. Following the ruling, he was transferred to the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje.

In his petition, the cleric claimed that his attempts to challenge the verdict through the appellate courts had been deliberately frustrated.

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He said he filed a notice of appeal shortly after the judgment in December 2022 and later submitted additional motions in 2024, but alleged that the judiciary stalled the process and tampered with his filings.

He further accused some appellate judges of altering dates and misrepresenting his submissions in ways that favoured the state.

Kabara also claimed that his ordeal began after he refused to cooperate with what he described as a plot by powerful figures within Nigeria and abroad to position him as a revolutionary religious leader similar to Ruhollah Khomeini.

According to him, rejecting the proposal led to hostility from political and religious authorities.

The cleric alleged foreign involvement in the matter, recounting what he described as meetings with Iranian envoys and Nigerian officials who allegedly attempted to recruit him into a foreign-backed agenda.

He claimed he was offered large sums of money and contracts reportedly worth up to N500 million to cooperate, but turned down the offers.

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He also accused former Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, of playing a role in his ordeal, including allegedly deploying armed personnel to invade his residence and mosque.

In addition, Kabara alleged collusion between government lawyers and judicial officials to tamper with documents related to his case, claiming that the handling of his trial violated Section 38(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Among other claims, he alleged that he was once deceived into drinking what he described as a “mixed liquid” linked to the alleged attempt to transform him into a revolutionary religious figure.

He also recalled that former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, publicly compared him to Mohammed Marwa, the radical preacher whose movement triggered violent uprisings in northern Nigeria during the 1980s.

Kabara concluded the petition with a plea for the intervention of the CJN, describing himself as a patriot unjustly imprisoned.

He said the death sentence against him was based on what he called a flawed judgment and warned that the case represents a serious miscarriage of justice.