Kano atheist, Mubarak Bala said that his life is in danger after serving more than four years in prison for blasphemy.
Bala, 40, who is now living in hiding was tried and convicted by a Kano State Sharia court in 2020 after he pleaded guilty to blasphemy charge following controversial Facebook post he shared. He was sentenced to a 24-year imprisonment, but an appeal court judge reduced it to four years.
“The concern about my safety is always there,” he told the BBC in an exclusive interview as he tucked into his first meal as a free man.
“Freedom is here, but also there is an underlying threat I now have to face…All those years, those threats, maybe they’re out there.
“Everything is new to me. Everything is new,” he said as he took in his new-found liberty.
Bala, an outspoken religious critic, was arrested after a group of lawyers filed a complaint with the police about the social media post.
He then spent two years in prison awaiting trial before being convicted in 2022.
At the time Bala’s guilty plea baffled many, even his legal team, but he stands by his decision, saying that it relieved the pressure on those who stood by him, including his lawyers, friends and family.
“I believe what I did saved not only my life, but people in Kano,” he said.
“Especially those that were attached to my case, because they are also a target.”
As for Bala, he is keen to catch up on lost time – including getting to know his young son who was just six weeks old when he was imprisoned. But he said he had no regrets.
“My activism, my posting on social media, I always knew the worst would happen, When I made the decision to come out, I knew I could be killed. I knew the dangers, and I still decided to do it.”
