An Islamic court in the northern Nigerian state of...

An Islamic court in the northern Nigerian state of Katsina sentenced a pregnant teenage girl and her lover to 100 lashes each for pre-marital sex.
The girl, identified only as Rabiatu, was convicted by a Sharia court in the town of Funtua after confessing to having sex with 24-year-old Balarabe Tela before marriage, reported the Comet newspaper.
It said Rabiatu, who is seven months pregnant, would receive her punishment in January after the baby was born.
The court found that Tela had impregnated Rabiatu on the pretext that he would marry her. In addition to the lashes, he will be jailed for a year.
Pre-marital sex is an offence under Sharia law, brought in by a dozen northern states in the past two years despite opposition from the federal government, Christians and rights bodies.