A 35-year-old atheist, Mubarak Bala, has spent 200 days in detention without trial for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammed.
Bala, who was once confined to a mental institution for several months for his atheist views in 2014, was again arrested on April 28, 2020, for comparing the Prophet with Temitope Joshua, aka TB Joshua, who is the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations, and describing Muslims as terrorists.
A lawyer, S.S. Umar, subsequently wrote a petition to the Kano State Police Command, demanding the arrest of Bala for his inciting comment.
Bala, who is the President, Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested at Gbabasawa Police Station in Kaduna State and transferred to the state police command.
According to sworn affidavits, the police in Kano denied Bala access to his lawyers for several months.
