A Magistrate Court has directed two well-known TikTok creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to legalise their relationship through marriage within 60 days.
The order, issued on Monday by Magistrate Halima Wali, followed the circulation of viral videos showing the duo in romantic scenes deemed “indecent” by the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board.
The ruling — described by many as both unusual and controversial — mandates the Kano State Hisbah Board to oversee the marriage process between the two influencers.
While delivering her judgment, Magistrate Wali cautioned that failure to carry out the marriage within the specified timeframe would amount to contempt of court.
She also instructed the chairman of the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board to monitor the implementation of the court’s directive.
The judgment came weeks after the two social media personalities were arraigned on charges of producing and sharing obscene material online.
The viral videos, which gained significant traction on TikTok and other platforms, showed intimate interactions between Mai Wushirya and Yar Guda — content the Censorship Board said violated the moral and religious standards that guide public behaviour in Kano State.
Officials from the board asserted that the clips contravened state censorship laws, which forbid the creation and distribution of sexually suggestive or explicit content.
“Such behaviour undermines the values we stand for and sets a dangerous example for the youth,” an official of the board told PUNCH.
Mai Wushirya had previously been remanded in a correctional centre after being accused of promoting immoral behaviour through his skits. Yar Guda was also interrogated by the board’s enforcement team before the case was transferred to court.
The ruling has sparked mixed reactions among Kano residents. While some commended the court’s action as a moral correction consistent with Islamic values, others criticised it as an infringement on personal freedom and a troubling precedent.
A resident of Kofar Nassarawa, Aliyu Salisu, described the court’s decision as “a wise decision” that would discourage indecency among young people. “Our religion encourages modesty. If they have gone this far publicly, it is only right they are joined in marriage,” he said.
Conversely, Zainab Ahmed, a resident of Hotoro, disagreed, calling the ruling “an overreach of authority.”
“The government can caution them or penalise them, but forcing marriage is not the solution. Morality should not come through compulsion,” she added.
As of press time, neither Mai Wushirya nor Yar Guda has made a public statement regarding the court’s order.
The case has reignited discussions about the limits of state intervention in regulating social conduct and online expression in northern Nigeria.