A 20-year-old man was on Tuesday flogged 40 lashes for eating a mango fruit during Ramadan.

Mr Ibrahim Ismail was found guilty of eating during the Islamic holy month by an upper Shariah court in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

The judge, Mr Safiyanu Ya’u, ordered that the victim be flogged 40 times in a market square to served as a deterrent to others.

He said the action of the victim contravenes section 370 of penal code law of Jigawa State.

The culprit, Ismail, was earlier arrested and prosecuted by the state Hisbah board (also known as the Sharia police) for eating a mango while other healthy Muslims are observing the Ramadan fast.

The flogging exercise took place at Ringim market square after a court official read before the public the ‘offence’ committed by Ismail.

The court official stated that “the offender will receive forty lashes for eating mango in public as ordered by the judge.”

“People should witness the flogging and help count the lashes,” the official said.

Jigawa, like many states in Northern Nigeria, uses the penal code which takes a lot from the Islamic Shariah law. There are also Shariah courts and judges in Northern states to implement the law.

Healthy adult Muslims are expected to fast from dawn to dusk during the 30 days of Ramadan.

PT