Corpun file 6032

The Vanguard, Lagos, 11 August 2000

National Newsreel

Sharia: Gusau court finds two guilty

By Hassan Ibrahim

GUSAU -- A Sharia court in Kanwuri, Gusau has charged two motorcycle operators for carrying women, thereby violating the Gusau local government commercial motorcycle operators bye-law 2000.

Mariru Abdullahi and Jafaru Isa who got a sentence of 20 lashes each also had their licences suspended for two months while their motorcycles were impounded for two weeks by the court.

Delivering judgment, the presiding judge Alhaji Dahiru Muhammad Gusau said articles 4 and 7 of the bye-law stipulated that any person found violating the law would be liable to 20 lashes while his motorcycle would be impounded.

The judge who argued that the punishment was carried out on the culprits because they are Muslims, however advised them to be of good character adding that their conviction was to serve as a deterrent to others.

The convicts were arrested by members of the State Joint Aid Monitoring Committee on the Implementation of Sharia who have been patrolling the state capital since August 1, 2000 when the law took effect.

Meanwhile, the Gusau Local Government Council has provided uniforms to the Kabu-kabu operators to distinguish them from other motorcycle users while additional buses have been provided to take care of female transporters in the state capital.