Prison officials in Nigeria's Katsina state remained...

Prison officials in Nigeria's Katsina state remained tight lipped about why Sani Yakubu Rodi was executed by hanging instead of by machete as his sentence stipulated.The 29-year-old Nigerian man on January 3 became the first person to be executed under Islamic law for brutally hacking a woman, Zainab Hamza, 35, and her two young children to death with a machete.In December 2001 the northern Katsina state's Sharia court, presided by Judge Mustapha Darma, had ruled that Rodi be executed with the same weapon he had used to kill the victims.The case generated interest amongst human rights groups questioning the basis of the judge's decision while other interest groups criticised the mode of execution. Rodi was found guilty after two members of Hamza's family swore to God 50 times that he had committed the offence.Muslim sect leader Sheikh Habibu Kaura said that Islam required that Rodi should have been killed by machete."Islam recommends that only armed robbers be executed by either hanging or a firing squad," he said.A prison official present at the execution said that Rodi had asked for his parents' forgiveness before he was hanged. Hamza's father, Mamman Asuko, was present at the execution and said he was happy that justice had taken its course."I saw him being hanged and I am happy he has been killed," said Asuko.