Nigerian Court Orders Release of Man Arrested For Having 86 Wives

IBN reports today that Nigeria's Federal High Court has ordered the unconditional release of Mohammed Bello Abubakar. The 84-year old man had been arrested and charged with "insulting religious" creed and "unlawful marriages" after local Muslim leaders ordered him to divorce 82 of his 86 wives. (See prior posting.) Initially he was arraigned by an Upper Sharia Court in Niger state. Now the Federal High Court has ordered the inspector general of police to give Abubakar protection from local authorities. BBC News reported several days ago that Abubakar had been released on bail, but IBN says he is still in custody. There is no law against polygamy in Nigeria, but Islamic law permits only four wives. The Niger state government says it will appeal the High Court's order. It is one of the Nigerian states that has reintroduced Sharia law.