On 21 January, an Appeal Panel ordered the case of 22-year old Yahaya Sharif-Aminu be retried by a different judge on the basis that he was not represented by a legal representative throughout his trial. The singer was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy in August 2020, accused of circulating a song on Whatsapp that allegedly contained derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad SAW. The charges against Yahaya Sharif-Aminu must be dropped and he must be released immediately and unconditionally.