Three men have been sentenced to be stoned to death in Nigeria’s northern state of Bauchi. According to the leader of the religious police that arrested them, the sentence was pronounced by an Islamic Sharia court.
Northern Nigeria, being predominantly Muslim and local states adhere to Sharia law courts which punish the residents for petty crimes ranging from adultery to blasphemy. According to Reuters, Adam Dan Kafi, the head of the Hisbah religious police in the Ningi local government area of Bauchi said the three men were arrested on June 14 and charged in a Sharia court.
The men, including a 70-year-old, all confessed to the crime even though they were not represented by lawyers, Kafi said. The Judge, Munka’ilu Sabo sentenced them to death but the men can appeal the sentence within a time span of 30 days.
The sentence passed by the Sharia court has to be approved by the state governor. Like in most parts of African continent, homosexuality is looked down upon in Nigeria. Nigerian laws mandate a lengthy prison sentence for those who publicly display same sex relationships and people who indulge in a same sex marriage.
This shows the importance of Sharia Law in a nation that has a constitution which is neutral when it comes to religion. The Reuters report further adds that, last month, a Nigerian singer asked the Appeals Court to declare the sharia penal code in another northern state unconstitutional. A ruling is expected before October.
