Alleged blasphemy: Lawyers Defending Cleric Withdraw from Case

By Ibrahim Shuaibu

A group of lawyers, defending the embattled Kano Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, has announced their withdrawal from the suit.

Kabara is currently cooling his feet at the Kurmawa Correctional Centre in Kano after he was sued by the Kano State Government, following a petition against him for blasphemy.

The lawyers were engaged to defend the embattled cleric, who was charged with blasphemy at Upper Shariah Court in Kano State.

However, in a letter addressed to the judge of the Upper Shariah Court, dated September 15, the lawyers said they have withdrawn from the case with suit numbers CR/1/2021 and CR/631/2021.

The lawyers said that “following what transpired between the defendant and his lawyers, as well as a meeting between him and the lawyers at the Kurmawa Correctional Centre on September 14, 2021, we are hereby announcing our withdrawal from the case.

“We hope the court will accept our withdrawal. We pray the judge would do justice.”

THISDAY gathered that the Presiding Judge, Sarki Yola, had on September 2, 2021, ordered for the Psychiatrist Evaluation of Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, after remaining permanently mute on a series of questions he was asked.

But Kabara alleged that “they misled me not to respond to the charges earlier filed against me.

“Few days before coming to this court for the last sitting, the lawyers came to the correctional facility and informed me that charges would be read to me. Then they cautioned me that those charges were traps set to frame me that if I accept those allegations, I have walked into a technical suicide trap that have been set against me.

“Unfortunately, on that day in court, I kept quiet as instructed, then ordered that I should undergo a mental and hearing test, and then my lawyers all sat did not object. Rather I saw them charting with the prosecution lawyers and I felt embarrassed. It is these same lawyers who joined me with a top civil servant in the state. I will not disclose the person’s name.”

He accused the lawyers of professional misconduct before the Upper Shariah Court that include extortion of funds, wrongful relationship with his wife and deliberately misleading him in the case.

Responding on the allegations, the spokesperson of the affected team of lawyers, Mr. Rabiu Shuaibu Abdullahi, told reporters that they were not legally in a position to reveal what actually happened between them and their client but however they advised him to take his case to the proper channel within two weeks or they will take action against him.

“We are legal practitioners and are guided by professional ethics, so there is no way we can reveal what happened between us and our client to the public.

“However, we call on our client Sheikh Abduljabbar to report the allegations he is having against us, which he mentioned to the court this morning to the proper authority so that we can be quizzed for violating professional ethics.

“If by two weeks he fails to do that we will be forced to take the necessary action to protect our image and integrity.” Shuaibu said.