Amnesty International welcomed the Nigerian federal...

Amnesty International welcomed the Nigerian federal justice minister Godwin Agabi's move advising all 12 northern states that any court "which imposes discriminatory punishment is deliberately flouting the constitution ... a Muslim should not be subjected to a punishment more severe than would be imposed on other Nigerians for the same offence".
However Amnesty questioned if he had authority over the state governments. "We're very sceptical that this will have any legal force, which means we're still dealing with a high risk of a serious human rights violation," said Michael Hammer, the organisation's deputy regional officer.
"So far, the federal has not ruled on whether it is competent to hear penal cases from state courts," Hammer said. "It remains extremely uncertain."