 has condemned the reported order of a Kano Magistrate’s Court allegedly directing two popular TikTok){kind=link}
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the reported order of a Kano Magistrate’s Court allegedly directing two popular TikTok content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to marry within 60 days.
According to reports, the court’s decision followed viral videos featuring the pair in what the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board described as “indecent displays” that violated the state’s moral and religious codes.
Reacting to the development, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, said the alleged ruling represented a fundamental misinterpretation of judicial powers and a clear breach of the individuals’ constitutional rights.
“Marriage, by its very nature, is a voluntary union between consenting adults. It cannot be imposed as a form of punishment, moral correction, or judicial remedy,” the NBA said.
The association stressed that no court in Nigeria possesses the authority to compel any person into marriage, describing such an order as unconstitutional and a violation of the rights to personal liberty, dignity, and privacy as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The NBA further called for an urgent review of the alleged directive and tasked its Citizens’ Liberties Committee and Women’s Forum to monitor the situation to ensure the protection of the TikTokers’ fundamental rights.
“The courts must remain the bastion of justice and protectors of constitutional rights, not instruments for enforcing social conformity or moral compulsion,” the NBA added.