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.