The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has issued a strong condemnation of a reported order by a Kano Magistrate’s Court, which allegedly mandated two popular TikTok content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to marry within 60 days.
The controversy stems from the duo’s viral videos, which were considered “indecent” by the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board for depicting romantic gestures deemed contrary to the state’s moral and religious values.
NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe denounced the order as a “grave misunderstanding of the limits of judicial authority under the Nigerian Constitution” and an infringement on the individuals’ fundamental rights.
The NBA’s core arguments against the ruling are:
Marriage is a voluntary union between consenting adults and cannot be judicially imposed as a form of punishment, moral correction, or remedy.
The order is unconstitutional and unlawful, as no court in Nigeria possesses the power to compel marriage.
It constitutes a violation of the rights to personal liberty, dignity, and privacy guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The association has demanded an immediate review of the alleged order and urged judicial authorities to prevent such incidents in the future. The NBA has also directed its Citizens’ Liberties Committee and Women’s Forum to monitor the case to ensure the protection of constitutional rights.
The NBA stressed that courts must serve as the “bastion of justice and protectors of constitutional rights, not instruments for enforcing social conformity or moral compulsion.”
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