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An Islamic vigilante group known as Hizbah in the northern city of Kano canned a Christian trader 80 times after he was found with a bottle of gin, the French news agency has reported.
AFP reported Livinus Obi, 50, as saying he had bought the gin to celebrate Christmas but was caned on Monday in full view of his 16 children and two wives.
“They removed my clothes, held me face down and gave me eighty strokes,” he said, revealing weals on his back.
Kano State began implementing Sharia law, which forbids the sale and consumption of alcohol, in December.
Several states in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim northern region have done likewise. These state governments have often said Sharia would not apply to Christian minorities, an exception often ignored by the vigilantes enforcing the edict.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions