Nigerian human rights activists and lawyers say they...

Nigerian human rights activists and lawyers say they are cautiously optimistic an Islamic appeals court will reverse a sentence of death by stoning passed on a Muslim mother convicted of adultery.
"I am optimistic that Safiya will be set free," said Ifeoma Ihenacho, a representative of the Civil Liberties Organization.
Ihenacho, one of several human rights campaigners who arrived in the conservative Islamic city to hear the appeal, said she based her optimism on a presentation by Hussaini's lawyer, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, at a recent workshop.
"His argument is that the lower Sharia court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case. This means that the death sentence passed on her is invalid," she said.
The defence argues that a lower sharia court is not competent to hear capital charges.
Defence lawyer Ibrahim said then that the law used against Hussaini was not in force when the alleged offence was committed. He also said the lower court failed to investigate whether Hussaini was married. Hussaini says she is divorced.