A MAN in the northern Nigerian state of Sokoto has had his hand amputed after being convicted of stealing a goat, court officials said on Saturday. The amputation of 30-year-old Umaru Aliyu’s right hand was carried out at Sokoto specialist hospital on Friday, following the approval of the sentence on Wednesday by the state government, court officials told AFP by telephone from Sokoto. Aliyu was convicted of stealing a goat valued at 4_000 naira (around $36) and 6,000 naira cash in April. He was convicted by a Sharia court in the city last month. During the ruling, presiding judge Bawa Sahali Tambuwal said the offence violated the Islamic or Sharia law introduced in the state in August last year. The amputation is the third in recent years in Nigeria. – AFP