The insults were exchanged in the heat of the moment, he admits, but Farouq, a teenager, did not mind the exchange until he was called to the police station and accused of blasphemy against God.
When word got out about the nature of his arrest, an angry mob broke into the Farouq family home, forcing his mother to flee to a neighboring village, his lawyer said.
Farouq, then 16, was sentenced and sentenced to 10 years in prison for forced labor by a Sharia court in Kano, northern Nigeria.
“I am very happy, I am in a good mood. And I am grateful to all those who helped and supported this result with the grace of Allah,” Farouq, now 17, told CNN in his first interview after its launch.
Alapinni was instrumental in the release of Farouq from prison.
“We found out that they were convicted the same day, by the same judge, in the same court, for blasphemy and found out that no one was talking about Omar, so we had to act quickly to appeal him,” he said.
“Blasphemy is not recognized by Nigerian law. It is inconsistent with Nigeria’s constitution.”
The Supreme Court of Kano declared that Farouq’s conviction as a minor “was committed by mistake and … is overturned and the Defendant is hereby exonerated and acquitted”.
An ‘unfair’ punishment
Farouq says he is offended because the Sharia court was “unfair” to him.
Sharia court officials did not comment on Farouq’s case and efforts to contact them were unsuccessful. CNN also contacted the Kano state government for comment, but has not yet received a response.
In all, Farouq spent more than five months in prison, without access to family members or lawyers.
Her family said they had not been informed of the details of their case and did not even know what date their hearing was held.
“They were not fair to us,” his uncle Umar Aliyu told CNN. “When they took this boy to court, they did not tell us which court they took him to … and refused to tell us the date set for the trial. They continued to expel us. I went to Hisbah’s office pleading with the interrogator, but he I said to leave the office. I left hurt and on the verge of tears, extremely sad. ”
The family also learned from media news that Farouq was convicted and sentenced, Aliyu said.
Aliyu remembers being “enveloped in sadness” whenever he thought of his nephew locked up and out of touch with his family.
“Everyone … was very upset, we were very sad. We just had to comfort each other, advising some to take this as something ordered by Allah … telling them to be patient. This provided some emotional relief.
“During the time he spent in prison, every time I thought about him, I was worried. Every time I thought about him, sadness enveloped me.”
‘Your life is in danger’
Now that Farouq has been released, he says he is determined to finish his studies and has ambitions to enter politics to fight the kind of injustice he has faced.
“I pray that Allah will bless me to become governor or president to reform Sharia and end injustice to my fellow citizens and me, since in some court cases the offense does not justify the severe judgment rendered. This is the deprivation of your right , oppression and abuse, “he said.
Although his conviction has been overturned, Farouq’s life remains threatened by some fanatics who see his release as an affront, according to his lawyer.
Alapinni told CNN how Farouq was terrified when he appeared to find him out of prison when he was released.
“He himself knows that he is in danger because when we tried to pick him up from prison … we could see the fear on his face, he didn’t even want to follow us … everyone had said that if he left the prison walls, he will be killed, “said Alapinni.
“Now we need to provide a safe passage for him. His life is in danger in Kano – it will never be the same,” he said.