Two gay men in
Nigeria face death by stoning if convicted

The fate of two gay men in Nigeria who are facing the death penalty for allegedly having sex with each other is in the hands of an Islamic court after the prosecution presented its final witness in the case. Police arrested 40-year-old Kabir Yusuf and 18-year-old Usman Sani at a public restroom in the city of Katsina. Officers claimed the two confessed to having sex with each other. But the men have since denied the charge, and prosecutors have been unable to produce any eyewitness to the crime as required by Islamic Sharia law. In fact, the trial has been repeatedly postponed as prosecution witnesses admitted they did not actually see the act. Police corporal Nuhu Mohammed testified only that "the two men had their trousers unbuckled at the time of arrest.'' The Guardian of Nigeria reported that the Sharia court plans to announce its verdict on December 6. If convicted, Yusuf and Sani face death by stoning, although the newspaper says no such sentence has actually been carried out since Sharia law was reinstated in 2001. (Sirius OutQ News)