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From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
A middle line staff working with the Kano State government Hisbah Board (named withheld) has been arrested by the board for allegedly expressing views that are sympathetic to the promoters of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) in the state.
His arrest was confirmed to journalists by the Commander General of the board, Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, who restated a government’s directive to clampdown on individuals and groups subtly promoting the cause of LGBTQ in the state.
He said the board is investigating a group suspected to be promoting LGBTQ in the state under the guise of empowerment. He stressed that Shari’ah, which is practiced in the state and the Constitution of Nigeria, clearly prohibited same-sex marriage or a similar union.
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He appealed to the public, the media, religious and traditional leaders, as well as relevant stakeholders to join the fight against immorality in the state. The staff, it was gathered, had since pleaded his innocence, submitting that he was only invited to a workshop, via WhatsApp, on women’s empowerment, where a paper was presented on human rights.
“I was personally invited and after the programme, I was interviewed on how the police arrested LGBTQ members, and I said it was a violation of human rights,” he was quoted as saying.
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, had, on Sunday, ordered a crackdown on all groups promoting LGBTQ in the state. The state Commissioner for Information, Baba Halilu Dantiye, who made the disclosure, said the activities of a group, Women Initiative for Sustainable Empowerment and Equality (WISE), in the state, were a complete breach of the state’s moral standards and a violation of its Shari’ah law. He stressed the activities of gays and lesbians contravened the norms and values of the people of Kano State.
“As you know, 98 per cent of people in Kano are Muslims by faith, and our religion is against this immorality, so we can’t accept it,” he added.
