Court orders TikTokers to marry Kano NBA reaction
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned a ruling by a magistrate court in Kano State that ordered two popular TikTok content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to get married within 60 days. The order was issued by Magistrate Halima Wali following their arraignment over videos deemed “indecent” by the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board.
According to the board, the videos in question featured the duo in romantic postures that violated the moral and religious values upheld in the state. The magistrate ordered the Kano State Hisbah Board to facilitate the marriage and warned that failure to comply would amount to contempt of court.
In its response, the NBA described the court’s directive as a “grave misunderstanding of the limits of judicial authority under the Nigerian Constitution” and a direct affront to the fundamental rights of the individuals involved. The association reiterated that no court in Nigeria has the power to compel any person to marry another person or two persons to mandatorily marry.
The NBA stated that marriage, by its nature, is a voluntary union between consenting adults and cannot be imposed as a form of punishment, moral correction or judicial remedy. It emphasised that the order contravenes rights to personal liberty, human dignity, and privacy as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The NBA has called for an immediate review of the magistrate’s decision and urged that senior judicial authorities prevent a recurrence of such unconstitutional orders. The association also set into motion its Citizens’ Liberties Committee and Women’s Forum to monitor the case and ensure that the rule of law prevails.
This case has sparked debate over the intersection of state-mandated moral enforcement and constitutionally guaranteed individual rights. While the Kano State Hisbah Board and the Censorship Board defend the relevance of their actions in enforcing local moral standards, legal and human rights experts stress that such rulings must always align with the primacy of the Constitution.
