In 2022, Bala was sentenced to 24 years in prison, after Kano State High Court convicted him of 18 counts of causing a public disturbance.
He was arrested in 2020 after a petition from a group of lawyers alleging he had called the Islamic prophet Muhammad "all sorts of denigrating names" was sent to police.
Bala's legal team said they believe Bala is still in danger. Bala told the BBC that that whilst he is now free, there remains "an underlying threat", and "the concern about my safety is always there".
When asked why he pled guilty to the charges in court, which was not part of the agreed legal strategy, Bala said he believed this would save "not only my life, but people in the state, and especially those that were attached to my case".
Humanists International said it is likely he was subjected to intimidation, and there have been unconfirmed reports of threats against his family members.
During his ordeal, Bala was held without charge for 462 days and was denied access to a legal team for over five months. Bala was also denied access to medical care. In December 2020, a judge at the High Court in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, ruled that Bala should be immediately released, but Kano State authorities failed to comply.
Bala said that: "In Kano [prison], I never thought I would get out alive."
The NSS contributed to Humanists International's campaign to release Bala, and in 202 urged authorities in Nigeria to release him after he had spent a year in detention.
Blasphemy laws exist in at least 95 countries, including Northern Ireland. In 12 countries, including Nigeria, blasphemy or apostasy are punishable by death.
NSS: Abolition of blasphemy should follow Bala's freedom
NSS spokesperson Jack Rivington said: "We are delighted that Mubarak Bala has been freed, but he should never have faced imprisonment in the first place.
"Criticising religion should never be a crime. Blasphemy laws of any kind have no place anywhere. They are an affront to the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief.
"We call again for the abolition of all blasphemy laws, everywhere."
Imam Sentenced to Death Over Blasphemy in Nigeria
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