Freed from prison but still dreads for his life

A famous Nigerian atheist, who has equitable been freed after serving more than four years in prison for profanation, is now living in a safe house as his legitimate team dread his life may be in danger.

Mubarak Bala, 40, was convicted in a court in the northern city of Kano after, in a surpascfinish shift, he pguideed at fault to 18 indicts relating to a disputed Facebook post splitd in 2020.

“The worry about my safety is always there,” he tancigo in the BBC in an exclusive intersee as he tucked into his first meal as a free man.

Nigeria is a presentantly religious society and those who may be seen as having offfinished a religion – whether Islam or Christianity – face being shunned and discriminated aobtainst.

Blasphemy is an offence under Islamic law – Sharia – which functions aextfinishedside secular law in 12 states in the north. It is also an offence under Nigeria’s criminal law.

Bala, who renounced Islam in 2014, shelp there were times during his incarceration that he felt he “may not get out alive”. He dreaded he could have been focparticipated by defends or fellow inmates in the first prison he was in, in Kano, which is a mainly Muskinny city.

“Freedom is here, but also there is an underlying danger I now have to face,” he shelp. “All those years, those dangers, maybe they’re out there.”

He could have been inside for much extfinisheder if it was not for an requests court appraise who shrinkd the initial 24-year sentence last year, describing it as “excessive”.

Walking out of the prison in the capital, Abuja, Bala seeed exhausted, but happy dressed in a white T-shirt, khaki lows and flip-flops. He aascfinishd with his beaming lawyer by his side.

“Everyskinnyg is novel to me. Everyskinnyg is novel,” he shelp as he took in his novel-set up liberty.

Bala, an outspoken religious critic, was arrested after a group of lawyers filed a grumblet with the police about the social media post.

He then spent two years in prison adefering trial before being convicted in 2022.

At the time Bala’s at fault plea baffled many, even his legitimate team, but he stands by his decision, saying that it relieved the presdeclareive on those who stood by him, including his lawyers, frifinishs and family.

“I depend what I did saved not only my life, but people in Kano,” he shelp.

“Especiassociate those that were joined to my case, because they are also a concentrate.”

His conviction was expansively condemned by international rights groups and igniteed a argue about freedom of speech in Nigeria.

His detention also sent shockwaves atraverse Nigeria’s petite atheist and humanist communities, and his free has come as a relief to many, but there are still worrys.

“It’s thanks and no thanks,” shelp Leo Igwe, the set uper of the Humanist Association of Nigeria.

“Thanks, that he’s out, thanks that he’s a free man. But no thanks, because there is a dent on him as if he pledgeted a crime. For us at the Humanist Association, he pledgeted no crime.”

As for Bala, he is enthusiastic to catch up on lost time – including getting to understand his youthful son who was equitable six weeks ancigo in when he was jailed. But he shelp he had no laments.

“My activism, my posting on social media, I always knovel the worst would happen, When I made the decision to come out, I knovel I could be finished. I knovel the dangers, and I still choosed to do it.”