21 January 2002
An Upper Sharia Court in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, has sentenced a Sharia Court Judge, Alhaji Mohammed Na'ila, to 80 strokes of the cane for taking beer.
Na'ila, who is the Sharia court judge of Birnin Magaji, was convicted last Friday by the Kaura Namoda Upper Sharia Court of drinking alcohol, which is contrary to the Sharia legal system currently being implemented in the state.
He had been found in a beer parlour earlier on Tuesday and was convicted by his brother-in-law, judge of the Kaura Namoda Sharia court.
The erring judge was given 80 strokes of the cane at the market premises, in order for the people to witness the carrying out of the court order as well as to serve as a deterrent to others.
Na'ila was arrested drunk at Kaura Namoda town by Sharia enforcers before he was handed over to the police.
He has since been suspended from office and is expected to be dismissed.
In another development, Governor Ahmed Sani of Zamfara State has dismissed insinuations that Sharia is for the less-privileged members of the society. He said the conviction of a Sharia court judge in Birnin Magaji was a clear indication that "the legal system is not discriminatory."
He said "with the conviction of the judge, we are now vindicated that Sharia is not only for the common man, but for all irrespective of their positions in society."
He urged judges to always be just and fair in the discharge of their duties, stressing that all appointed Sharia court judges must undergo screening to be conducted by the Centre for Islamic Legal Studies at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The governor also reminded enemies of Sharia that no amount of blackmail or insinuations would dampen his government's determination.
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