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Fred Ezeh, Abuja
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has called on Federal Government to prevail on Kano State Government to urgently review the case against 13-year-old Omar Farouq, with a view to reversing the sentence.
Kano State Sharia Court at Feli Hockey, Kano, sentenced a 13-year-old Omar Farouq to 10 years imprisonment with menial labour after he was convicted of blasphemy on 10 August 2020.
UNICEF in a reactionary statement released in Abuja, on Wednesday, said the sentence contravens UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Nigeria ratified in 1991.
Additionally, it violates the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child which Nigeria ratified in 2001, and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act 2003, which domesticates Nigeria’s international obligations to protect children’s right to life, survival and development.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, said the recent development in Kano negates all core underlying principles of child rights and child justice in Nigeria which Kano State signed on to.
“This case further underlines the urgent need to accelerate the enactment of the Kano State Child Protection Bill so as to ensure that all children under 18, including Omar Farouq are protected, and that all children in Kano are treated in accordance with child rights standards,” he said.
He promised that UNICEF will continue to provide support for Nigerian Government and Kano State Government on strengthening of child protection system, including justice sector reform, to ensure that states put in place child-sensitive measures to handle cases involving children.
This, he added, includes adopting alternative measures, in line with international best practices, for the treatment of children alleged to have committed offences that does not involve detention or deprivation of family care.
