Irreligion in Nigeria is measured at less than one percent of the population. As in many parts of Africa, there is a great amount of stigma attached to being an atheist. A 2010 poll by Pew Research Center showed that 51% of Nigerian Muslims agree with the death penalty for leaving Islam. In some parts of Nigeria, there are even anti-blasphemy laws. In 2017 the Humanist Association of Nigeria gained formal government recognition after a 17-year struggle. This was followed by recognition of the Atheist Society of Nigeria, the Northern Nigerian Humanist Association and the Nigerian Secular Society.
Case of Mubarak Bala
Mubarak Bala, a Nigerian atheist, who was born in Kano State, Northern Nigeria in the mid 80s, was forcibly committed to a psychiatric institution in Kano for eighteen days in 2014, where he was forcibly drugged. One doctor suggested there was nothing wrong with Bala but a second doctor suggested a personality disorder and, according to Bala, told him:
My dear, you need a God, even in Japan, they have a God, no one should live without God, those that do, are all psychologically ill, denying the biblical account of Adam and Eve is delusion, denial of history.
The International Humanist and Ethical Union has taken up the case and feels Bala's Human rights were violated. According to the IHEU, "The real reason for this outrageous and inhumane action is because Mubarak has renounced Islam and has openly declared himself to be an atheist." On 4 July 2014, the BBC reported that Bala had been released from hospital in conjunction with a doctors' strike, and was seeking reconciliation with his family. It was not yet clear if he would remain in Northern Nigeria, due to death threats. Mubarak Bala decided to stay in Nigeria and was named president of an organisation called the Nigerian Humanists. In April 2020, he was arrested in Kaduna for blasphemy due to a FaceBook post he made, and has been held without charge since then. Due to the fact that the Nigerian police allegedly transferred him from Kaduna to Kano, where Shariah law is practiced and in the face of several credible death threats fears are mounting for his safety. Leo Igwe has been working hard to fight for his rights, working with several atheist and humanist organisations, notably Humanism International and Atheist Alliance International, which has a long and honorable history of campaigning going back to its registration as a charity in 1991, and which has UN consultative status, Council of Europe participatory status and is Gold rated for transparency by Guide Star. Also, the newly formed joined forces to raise awareness and funds to help pay Mubarak's legal costs, although it must be said that the international media has been mostly silent on this case. Recently, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom took an interest in Mubarak and have started applying pressure on the Nigerian government. The struggle to free Mubarak Bala is ongoing.
