aap: Nigerian lovers face death
A Nigerian couple have been sentenced to death by a Sharia court for adultery. They were initially sentenced to 5 years in prison, but were condemned to death after appealing for leniency. As with the case of Amina Lawal, sentenced to death by stoning earlier this month, the Nigerian government has refused to intervene, despite Sharia being officially unconstitutional.
Niger State spokesman Mahmud Ibrahim said the two lovers were sentenced to five years in jail on August 5 after they refused to pay a 15,000 naira ($A218) fine.“The judge was lenient on them because they pleaded for mercy on the ground that they had never done it before,” Ibrahim said.
But Usman’s father, who was opposed to the relationship and had denounced the couple in May, objected to the sentence, arguing that it was too harsh on his daughter.
“When the case was reviewed by the judge, they were sentenced to death as the Sharia prescribes,” Ibrahim said, adding that the pair were given 30 days to appeal.