The British Council has announced Human Rights lawyer Kola Alapinni, Nigeria and and Sub-Saharan Africa’s representative as a finalist in the Social Action category of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2026.
The award, which recognises UK university alumni making outstanding contributions to society marked another milestone for the legal professional who currently serves as Director of Advocacy at the Foundation for Religious Freedom.
Alapinni’s approach to human rights litigation was significantly shaped by his time at the University of Essex, where he obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Human Rights Law from the university’s renowned Human Rights Centre.
Before his postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom, Alapinni earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) with honours from the University of Ibadan and qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He has also undertaken professional training at the University of Hartford and BPP University.
Landmark Human Rights Cases
Alapinni served as lead defence counsel for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Kano-based Muslim Sufi singer who was sentenced to death by hanging by a Sharia court after being convicted of blasphemy over song lyrics shared online. The death sentence was later overturned by the Court of Appeal following concerns over due process and procedural issues. The wider constitutional questions surrounding the case remain part of an ongoing national legal debate.
He also represented Omar Farouq Bashir, a 13-year-old boy sentenced to 10 years in prison for blasphemy after a trial conducted without legal representation. The conviction was later overturned, drawing international attention to issues of children’s rights, fair hearing and the protection of minors within the justice system.
Through these cases, Alapinni has consistently argued that constitutional protections, including freedom of expression, fair hearing and freedom of religion, must remain central to Nigeria’s legal framework.
Beyond individual cases, Alapinni’s work focuses on broader legal and policy questions surrounding religious freedom, constitutional rights and the rule of law.
Global Recognition
The Study UK Alumni Awards recognition adds to a series of international honours acknowledging Alapinni’s contribution to human rights advocacy.
In 2024, he received the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Religious Freedom Award, presented in Washington, D.C., for his courage and commitment to protecting freedom of religion or belief despite significant personal risks.
The same year, the University of Essex featured him in its “Sixty Stories” initiative, which celebrated 60 graduates whose work has made a lasting global impact during the institution’s 60th anniversary.
