The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly criticized a reported directive by a Kano Magistrate’s Court ordering two popular TikTok content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to marry within 60 days.
The order, according to reports, followed the pair’s appearance in viral videos deemed “indecent” by the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board.
The clips, which showed the duo engaging in romantic gestures, were said to have violated the moral and religious standards upheld in the state.
In a statement on Tuesday, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, described the alleged order as “a grave misunderstanding of judicial limits under the Nigerian Constitution” and a blatant infringement on the fundamental rights of the individuals involved.
“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 statement read in part.
The association maintained that no court in Nigeria possesses the constitutional authority to compel anyone to marry, insisting that such an order is unlawful and violates the rights to personal liberty, dignity, and privacy as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The NBA called for an immediate review of the case and urged judicial authorities to prevent similar abuses of power in the future.
It further disclosed that its Citizens’ Liberties Committee and Women’s Forum had been directed to monitor the matter closely to ensure the protection of constitutional rights.
“The courts must remain the bastion of justice and defenders of constitutional freedoms, not instruments for enforcing social conformity or moral compulsion,” the NBA added.