The Sharia-enforcing police in Kano State, known as Hisbah, have cancelled the controversial wedding between two TikTok personalities after the male participant, Idris Mai Wushirya, declared he was no longer interested in marrying his fellow content creator, Basira Yar Guda.
The marriage had been ordered by a Kano magistrate court after the duo went viral for posting a video of themselves kissing and cuddling, which the court described as “indecent” under the state’s moral code.
Kano is one of 12 predominantly Muslim states in northern Nigeria where Sharia law operates alongside common law. The viral video drew widespread outrage among conservative residents, prompting the court to direct Hisbah to solemnise the pair’s marriage within 60 days.
However, the plan unravelled when Mai Wushirya confessed to Hisbah officials that his earlier claim of being “in love” with Yar Guda was a lie made to evade prosecution.
“Mai Wushirya told us that he lied to the court that he and Yar Guda were in love to evade prosecution,” said Abba Sufi, Hisbah’s Director-General, in an interview with AFP.
“With this development, we have cancelled the wedding and resolved to refer the matter back to the judge who issued the order for appropriate action.”
Hisbah had already begun preparations for the wedding, having secured parental consent from Mai Wushirya’s family and started efforts to contact Yar Guda’s relatives. The Kano State Government had even offered to purchase a house for the couple, meeting one of the bride’s stated conditions.
The court’s decision to compel the duo to marry had earlier sparked nationwide debate on the limits of judicial authority under Sharia law and the protection of personal freedoms.
In a sharp reaction, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) described the ruling as unconstitutional.
“No court has the power to compel any person to marry another person,” said Mazi Afam Osigwe, head of the NBA. “The order is an affront to the fundamental rights of the individuals concerned.”
Kano, home to the thriving Kannywood film industry, has in recent years tightened its moral oversight of entertainers and social media users. The Hisbah Board, in collaboration with the Kano State Censorship Board, has arrested and prosecuted several TikTokers, skit makers, and singers for content deemed “obscene” or contrary to Islamic values.
The cancelled wedding highlights growing tensions between cultural expression, social media freedoms, and the strict moral codes enforced under Sharia law in northern Nigeria a debate that continues to stir national attention.
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