Hajara Ibrahim, 18, was sentenced to death by stoning last Oct. 8 by the Lower Shariah Court in Lere village in northern Bauchi state, for adultery, contrary to Section 130 of the state's strict Shariah penal code, enacted 2 1/2 years ago.

Presiding Judge Mohammed Mustapha Umar of the Upper Shariah Court in Dass, Bauchi, said the lower court was wrong in sentencing Hajara to death by stoning.

The judge said the court erred by not giving Hajara the chance for a defense.

"Any judgment passed without the chance of defense is null and void," he said.

Since 1999, 12 states across the mainly Muslim north of the country have begun reintroducing Shariah principles into their penal codes, including punishments such as flogging, amputation and stoning.

The Japan Times Weekly: Nov. 20, 2004
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