Religious Police Storm Gay Wedding Venue In Kano, Arrests 12 Gay Couple

The Kano State’s religious police known as the Hisbah Sharia Guard had on Monday, January 26, 2015 invaded the venue of an alleged gay wedding ceremony and arrested twelve men who were about to get married at Dawakin-Kudu Hills and Valley, a recreational resort in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of Kano State.

The arrest was made in consonance with the Draconian bill Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act which President Goodluck Jonathan had signed into law in January 2014.

The commander of the Hisbah Sharia Guard, Sheik Aminu Daurawa, disclosed that one of the men identified as Faruk Maiduguri, who was the groom in the marriage was immediately arrested while Abba Mohammed, 25, who is supposed to be the bride escaped.

“We got an intelligence report that some youth, all men, were planning a wedding of two of their friends, and that Faruk and Abba, the bride, who is on the run, had under the guise of celebrating Faruk’s birthday sent out invitations on WhatsApp. They then printed out cards that friends should join them in the epoch-making event.”

“As you can see from their appearance and the way they looked, there is every element of homosexuality in them. We have arrested 12 of them, but Abba Mubammed escaped arrest and maybe we would have arrested more.”Shiekh Aminu Daurawa revealed that they got information from the family of Faruq about the planned wedding and stormed the venue to botch it, according to reports.

Moreover, Maiduguri refuted claims of being homosexual and further denied claims that he was trying to tie the knot with Abba, adding that they were just gathered to celebrate his birthday.He said, “I don’t know what they are talking about. I was celebrating my birthday before the Hisbah people came to the venue and arrested all of us. They accused me of planning a gay marriage but I told them I didn’t know what they were talking about.”

The suspects risk a jail term of 14 years as stipulated by the law if found guilty after investigations.