HAMZA IBRAHIM A Nigerian atheist and outspoken critic of religion was sentenced to 24 years in jail after pleading guilty to blasphemy charges in the largely Muslim northern state of Kano, in a ruling that puts a spotlight on religious freedoms in the country. Mubarak Bala Charges against Mubarak Bala are linked to comments he posted on Facebook in April 2020 that were critical of Islam and which authorities in Kano considered blasphemous and an insult to the religion, his lawyer said. When asked by Kano High Court Judge Farouk Lawan whether he had been coerced to enter a guilty…