The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has responded to the ruling of a Kano Magistrate Court that ordered TikTok creators Ashiru “Mai Wushirya” Idris and Basira Yar-guda to marry each other. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Magistrate Halima Wali directed the Kano State Censorship Board to facilitate the wedding within sixty days and instructed the Chairman of the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board to ensure the order is carried out. The magistrate warned that failure to conduct the marriage within the given timeframe would amount to contempt of court.
The directive followed the arrest, arraignment, and remand of Mai Wushirya over a TikTok video in which he expressed romantic affection toward Yar-guda.Reacting to the ruling in a statement signed by its President, Mazi Osigwe, and posted on its X handle on Tuesday, the NBA condemned the decision, insisting that the court lacked the legal authority to compel two people to marry.
The association described the ruling as a fundamental misunderstanding of judicial limits under the Nigerian Constitution and an infringement on the rights of the individuals involved. According to the statement, marriage is a voluntary union between consenting adults and cannot be imposed as punishment, moral enforcement, or a judicial remedy. It further noted that compelling a marriage violates rights to personal liberty, human dignity, and privacy as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The NBA warned that such actions could damage public confidence in the judiciary and stressed that no state institution, including the courts, should ever coerce anyone into marriage. It called for the ruling to be reviewed and urged judicial authorities to prevent a repeat of such decisions. The association also directed its Citizens’ Liberties Committee and Women’s Forum to monitor the case to ensure adherence to the rule of law.
Earlier, the Kano State Censorship Board had issued a statement through its spokesperson, Abdullahi Sulaiman, alleging that the TikTok video violated state laws prohibiting obscene or sexually suggestive content. Sulaiman said the video conflicted with the moral and religious values upheld in the state. In recent months, the board has intensified its clampdown on content creators accused of promoting immorality or violating censorship rules, leading to arrests and sanctions against some TikTok users and skit makers.
In February 2024, the newspaper also reported the arrest of controversial TikToker Murja Kunya for allegedly sharing inappropriate and un-Islamic content, following a wider search for six influencers accused of breaching Islamic principles in their online activities.
Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/
