Islamic law on trial in Nigeria

Fighting over Sharia left hundreds dead

Some Muslim-dominated states want to introduce the Sharia criminal code

By Nigeria correspondent Barnaby Phillips

A court case testing the legality of the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara is due to resume on Thursday.

The case has been raised by a leading human rights lawyer Olisa Agbakoba, who is arguing that Zamfara, by introducing Sharia criminal law, has violated the Nigerian constitution.

Mr Agbakoba's organisation, Huri Laws, alleges that Zamfara has violated the essentially secular nature of the Nigerian constitution through its adoption of Sharia, and that it is favouring one religion, Islam, to the detriment of the other, Christianity.

The case is still in its early stages but it, along with four similar suits which Huri Laws has subsequently filed, could help to resolve the burning the controversy over the legality of Sharia - an issue which has divided the country.

Emotive issue

Last month hundreds of people were killed in the northern city of Kaduna when violence began during a demonstration by Christians against Sharia.