KANO, Nigeria — A magistrate court in Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest city, has ordered two TikTok influencers to get married within 60 days after a video showing them passionately kissing went viral, sparking outrage in the conservative Muslim state.
The ruling, delivered on Monday, directed Kano’s Hisbah — the state’s Islamic morality police — to solemnise the union between the two creators, identified as Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, both popular for their online skits.
“The magistrate court gave the order for the Hisbah to join the man and the woman in marriage since they are so deeply in love as to make romantic displays on TikTok,” said Baba-Jibo Ibrahim, spokesperson for the Kano state judiciary, in a statement to AFP.
Kano is one of 12 predominantly Muslim states in northern Nigeria that enforce Sharia law alongside the country’s secular legal system. Under these laws, public expressions of intimacy and “immoral conduct” are punishable offences.
The video, which showed the pair cuddling and kissing, provoked a backlash among residents who accused the influencers of promoting indecency and disrespecting cultural and religious values.
Mai Wushirya, who has previously clashed with authorities over his social media content, was arrested and detained ahead of the ruling, while Yar Guda reportedly went into hiding.
Hisbah officials confirmed receiving the court’s directive and said preparations for the marriage were already underway. “Although the court said we should conduct the marriage within 60 days, we are determined to do it as soon as possible,” said Abba Sufi, the director-general of Hisbah.
Sufi added that Mai Wushirya’s parents had given their “explicit consent” to the marriage and that officials were working to locate Yar Guda’s family for formal approval.
The Kano state government, he said, was even considering purchasing a house for the couple after the bride reportedly insisted she would not live in rented accommodation.
The unusual court order has reignited debate over morality policing and personal freedoms in Nigeria’s conservative northern region, where the tension between cultural norms, religion, and digital expression continues to grow.
Kano is home to Kannywood, the Hausa-language film industry that produces more than 200 movies a month, making it one of the most active film hubs in Africa. However, its actors and content creators have long been under scrutiny from religious clerics and state authorities.
With the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, the Kano Censorship Board and Hisbah have expanded their oversight to digital creators, often arresting and prosecuting those accused of violating public morality.
Rights advocates have criticised such measures as infringing on individual freedoms, arguing that creative expression should not be criminalised. But conservative leaders insist that regulating online content is essential to preserving community values.
As Kano’s Hisbah prepares to enforce the court’s order, the case of Mai Wushirya and Yar Guda underscores the growing clash between modern social media culture and traditional religious authority — a tension increasingly defining Nigeria’s evolving digital landscape.