Police Hunt for Thief of Governor's Shoes

/reuters/ - Police in northern Nigeria have launched a high-profile search for a shoe thief after a state governor lost his shoes while praying at a mosque. Zamfara state Governor Ahmed Sani, a champion of Islamic sharia law, took off his shoes as he entered the Government House mosque in the town of Gusau on Tuesday. When he came out after prayers, they were gone, witnesses said. "Securitymen at the main (Government House) gate were deployed, while vehicles going in and out were subjected to thorough checks," a witness told the News Agency of Nigeria. Police said on Wednesday they believed the shoes had been stolen but have not made any arrests so far. Zamfara was the first of about a dozen northern Nigerian states to adopt sharia law with harsh penalties such as death by stoning for adultery and amputation of the hands for theft.