NBA Condemns Kano Court Order Compelling TikTokers to Marry: No Court Can Force Two Persons into Marriage
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned reports that a Magistrate Court in Kano allegedly ordered two popular TikTok content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to formalize their relationship through marriage within 60 days, following a case related to an indecent video shared online.
In a statement signed by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the association described the alleged ruling as a gross violation of constitutional rights and a fundamental misinterpretation of judicial powers.
“No court has the power to compel any person to marry another person. It is unconstitutional and therefore unlawful for any court to purport to have such authority,” the statement read.
The NBA emphasized that marriage is a voluntary union between consenting adults and cannot be imposed as punishment, moral correction, or judicial remedy. According to the association, any attempt to enforce marriage through a court order amounts to a violation of citizens’ fundamental rights, including the right to personal liberty, human dignity, and privacy as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“Such judicial overreach not only infringes on personal freedoms but also undermines public confidence in the judiciary,” the NBA warned. “The courts must remain the bastion of justice and protectors of constitutional rights, not instruments for enforcing social conformity or moral compulsion.”
The NBA called for an immediate review of the decision by Magistrate Halima Wali and urged relevant judicial authorities to prevent similar unconstitutional actions in the future.
Additionally, the NBA Citizens’ Liberties Committee and the Women’s Forum have been directed to monitor the case closely to ensure that the rule of law prevails.
“No person should ever be coerced, directly or indirectly, into marriage by any institution of state, including the courts,” the NBA President concluded.
