Nigerian taxi drivers fight police

[Richard Akindele]

By Mike Pflanz

Moped taxi-drivers clashed with Islamic police in Nigeria's Kano city after authorities began enforcing a new law banning women from being passengers on the bikes.

Hundreds of mopeds swamped the city centre, ridden by outraged drivers who attacked police with clubs and stones.

At least 11 people were injured in the clashes on Thursday.

More than 9,000 government religious police have been patrolling Kano's streets implementing the new rule, part of strict Islamic legislation introduced in 2004 and only now being enforced.

"Most of our passengers are women who pay better fares than men. This ban will further dwindle our meagre income as we will not get much patronage," said Lawal Sa'id, one of the drivers.

Irate motorcyclists, called achaba, also stopped and vandalised many of the 500 public tricycles provided by the government for women commuters.

"No amount of intimidation and lawlessness will deter us from carrying out this noble duty of stopping women from riding on achaba," said Yahaya Farouk Chedi, head of the religious police.

"We will not be cowed by anybody because we believe what we are doing is for the good of the society we want to sanitise."

Kano is one of a dozen mainly Muslim northern states to re-adopt the sharia legal system since 1999.