Court of Appeal Orders Correctional Centre to Produce Sheikh Abduljabar Kabara in Blasphemy Appeal
The Court of Appeal, Kano Division, on Monday directed the Nigerian Correctional Service to produce Sheikh Abduljabar Kabara before the court for the hearing of his appeal against a death sentence imposed by the Upper Shari’a Court for alleged blasphemy.
The appeal was filed personally by Kabara, without legal representation. In view of this, the presiding justice, Mohammed Lawal‑Shuaibu, ordered that the appellant must appear in person to argue his case. He sat alongside Justices Abubakar Muazu‑Lamido and Ahmad Ramat‑Mohammed.
Justice Lawal‑Shuaibu ruled that since the appeal was filed by the appellant himself, he must personally prosecute it.
Also, given that the appellant, Kabara is in custody, the Correctional Service is mandated to produce him on the next adjourned date, April 23, 2026, to enable him to argue the appeal.
When the matter was first called, neither party was represented. A man, Usman Malam‑Hussaini, informed the court that Kabara had sent a letter requesting transfer from Kuje Prison to Kano to access his records.
The court subsequently summoned the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabiru‑Maude (SAN), to appear. However, when the matter was recalled, Barr. Zahradeen Kofar‑Mata, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, explained that the Attorney General was indisposed and tendered an apology. He attributed the lapse to a registry mix‑up, noting that the matter had been assigned to a private lawyer.
Justice Lawal‑Shuaibu cautioned the Attorney General, describing his absence as disrespectful to the court. The matter was then adjourned to April 23, 2026, for hearing.
