Women who ride on commercial motorcycles in the northern Nigerian state of Kano stand the risk of being arrested by the state's sharia police from this week, the official News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported on Wednesday.

"The sharia police, otherwise known as Hisbah committee, have concluded arrangements to commence enforcement of some aspects of the state's sharia law as passed by the state House of Assembly," the NAN said.

The law bans women from riding commercial motorcycles, commonly known as Okada in Nigeria, and also bars Muslim Okada operators from carrying women on their motorcycles, the state's Hisbah Commander Alhaji Yahaya Chedi was quoted by NAN as saying.

Chedi said that the state government had provided 500 tri- cycles and 200 buses on the road to complement the efforts of its mass transit corporation.

Other aspects of the sharia law that would be implemented include the ban on alcohol consumption, hard drugs and prostitution, the commander said.

Kano, one of 12 states in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north that adopted the strict Islamic law in 2000, is the first to introduce segregated public transport.

Source: Xinhua