Abuja - An 84-year-old Nigerian man with 86 wives and 170 children has accepted a decree issued by Islamic authorities that he must divorce 82 of them, reports said Monday.

The BBC, quoting a local emir, reported that Mohammadu Bello Abubakar on Saturday agreed to the mass divorce.

Abubakar, a former teacher and preacher, faced the death penalty under Sharia law, which was reintroduced to the Muslim-majority Niger State, North-West Nigeria, in
2000.

While the death sentence was lifted, Abubakar still faced eviction from his home.

Nigerian media and the BBC interviewed Abubakar several weeks previously, when he claimed there was no punishment in the Koran for having more than four wives.

However, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) said that Sharia law clearly limited a man to four wives. (dpa)