A fifth state in Nigeria has announced plans to extend the scope of Sharia Islamic law.

The governor in the state of Niger, Abdulkadir Kure, said the population had the right to choose democratically the kind of society it wanted: he's to send a bill outlining the proposed change to the state assembly.

The move is opposed by Christian leaders.

The head of the Nigerian Christian Association in the state Jonah Kolo said this week that the motivation was not spiritual, but political and aimed at marginalising Christians. Sharia law has already been declared in Zamfara state and is in the process of being extended in Kano, Sokoto and Yobe. Islamic courts in Nigeria have until recently dealt only with religious and family law between Muslims, but the introduction of a new constitution last year has led Muslim leaders to claim the right to extend Sharia to other fields.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service