2 May 2001
Three trucks loaded with beer were set ablaze on Friday by a mob in Zamfara State, following a call by Governor Ahmed Sani to destroy any consignment of liquor entering the state, AFP quoted a state-run Kano radio report as saying. Sani, speaking at the inauguration of a new mosque, said his decision was aimed at liquor operators who refused to abide by the state's Islamic law, or Sharia, which bans the sale and possession of alcohol.
In January 2000, Zamfara became the first Nigerian state to implement the Islamic legal code in 2000. Since then, ten other Northern states have either introduced or plan to introduce it. Similarly vigilantes in Kano State have attacked several hotels and restaurants on suspicion that they stocked alcoholic drinks. The state-owned hotel has also banned Christian-related activities on its premises.
Sharia's introduction has remained a contentious issue in Nigeria as it is supposed to be a secular country. Thousands of people were killed in the northern state of Kaduna last year in rioting which broke out between Non-Muslims and Muslims over plans by the government to introduce Sharia.
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