Nigerians Riot Over a State’s Bid to Adopt Islamic Code
LAGOS, Nigeria — A church and a mosque were set ablaze in Nigeria’s northeastern Gombe state as riots broke out over a move there to introduce the strict Muslim Sharia law code, state officials said Wednesday.
Gombe state spokesman Yahya Abubakar said a demonstration organized by Christian groups protesting two bills being debated in the state assembly on the introduction of Sharia in the state turned violent Monday in the town of Kumo.
“A few shops were vandalized, a church was burned down, and a mosque was burned down,” Abubakar said. “There are no official reports of deaths. Some people were injured.”
Non-Muslims oppose Sharia for its tough laws, such as stoning for adultery and amputation of hands for theft.
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