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The governor of a Sharia state has bowed to pressure from Islamic hard-liners by announcing that all schoolchildren must now wear Islamic dress.

Ibrahim Shekarau, governor of Kano, the most populous state in northern Nigeria, has now extended his 2003 ruling which introduced Islamic dress code into public schools. Now he has ordered private schools to follow suit.

This means that all girls -- Muslim and non-Muslim alike -- will have to wear the veil, plus a kaftan with trousers or skirt. All schoolboys must now wear a kaftan, trousers and a cap. 'This is in line with our resolve to bring about a positive change in the attitude of our students and to strengthen their morality,' said Shekarau.

The move will probably win favour with Kano's more extremist elements but is not likely to satisfy them completely. Only last month Nigeria's self-styled Taliban killed 10 policemen in a raid on Kano's police headquarters in the Panshekara district of the city, in protest at the national government's 'failure to live by the Koran'.

The Guardian newspaper reports that the so-called Taliban told residents they were avenging the death of dissident cleric Sheikh Jafar Adam, who was shot dead in his mosque. The sheikh had reportedly accused Shekarau of not doing enough to enforce strict Islamic law in Kano.

Nigeria's Taliban is also said to be disgruntled over attempts by some of Kano's leaders to forge ties with the West. The Emir of Kano is negotiating a deal with the US and the UK to fund schools offering a more balanced education, reports The Guardian.

Pray for Christians in Kano state, a tiny minority. Pray that, despite efforts to make everyone conform to Islamic law, Christians' distinctiveness will be clear.

In the name of religious freedom, pray against attempts to further 'Islamise' Nigeria's northern states such as Kano.

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