Suspected homosexuals during court proceedings at Unguwar Jaki Upper Sharia Court in Bauchi on January 22, 2014 (AFP/File, Aminu Abubakar)
Bauchi — Two Islamic courts in northern Nigeria have been forced to suspend the trials of 10 men accused of homosexuality because of fears of mob violence, judges and officials have said.
An angry crowd last week pelted stones at seven men suspected of breaking Islamic law banning homosexuality after their hearing was adjourned at the Unguwar Jaki Upper Sharia Court in Bauchi.
Police were forced to use teargas and fire shots in the air to disperse the mob, who were demanding summary trial and execution for the defendants.
The seven had been due to reappear before the same court on Tuesday.
Agence-France-Presse reports on developments in the prosecution of homosexuals in a sharia court in Nigeria. Earlier this month, the Nigerian federal government banned same-sex marriage and civil unions between same-sex couples.