A Nigerian Muslim has been flogged in public for drinking alcohol in the first such case since Islamic Sharia law was introduced in Zamfara state last month.

The man, Bahiru Sule, was given eighty lashes in front of a crowd of around five-hundred people near the Emir's palace in the state capital Gusau.

Mr Sule was caught drinking alcohol by members of a vigilante group set up by the state governor to monitor whether people observed the strict Islamic code.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service