An Islamic court in northern Nigeria sentenced a pregnant...

An Islamic court in northern Nigeria sentenced a pregnant woman to death by stoning for having pre-marital sex, court officials said.
Safiya Hussaini Tungar Dudu, 30, became the first person to be sentenced to death by a Sharia court in Sokoto state since it adopted the strict Muslim legal code in 2000.
Gwadadawa Upper Sharia Court Judge Mohammed Bello Sanyinnawal sentenced the woman to death after she pleaded guilty to having sex without being married.
The court released the man she identified as her lover, saying there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.
The court gave the woman 30 days to appeal the sentence.
A Sharia court in neighbouring Zamfara state attracted international outrage in January when a 17-year-old girl was given 100 lashes for having pre-marital sex. The court dismissed her tearful testimony that she had been raped.
The adoption of a strict sharia penal code in parts of the predominantly Muslim north despite protests by non-Muslims has sparked bloody sectarian clashes in the region.
Nigeria's population of over 110 million is split almost evenly between Muslims and Christians. Non-Muslims oppose sharia because of its harsh punishments, which include amputation of hands for theft.