The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested 25 young people accused of organizing an alleged gay wedding in the state’s capital.
Officials said the arrests took place after Hisbah operatives stormed an event center in Kano following a tip-off from concerned residents.
The incident occurred over the weekend in the predominantly Muslim northern Nigerian city.
Confirming the operation, the Deputy Commander-General of the Hisbah, Mujaheed Abubakar, said the suspects 18 men and seven women were all in their early 20s. Among them were two men believed to be the couple intending to get married.
Abubakar told journalists that one of the men was preparing to “tie the knot” with another man before the raid disrupted the gathering.
He added that a full investigation would be carried out to determine the extent of involvement and to pursue legal action under the state’s sharia law.
Sharia law, which is based on Islamic principles from the Qur’an, operates alongside Nigeria’s federal justice system in 12 northern states, including Kano.
Under the region’s strict interpretation of sharia, homosexuality is punishable by death though no such sentence has ever been enforced.
Nigeria’s national law also criminalizes same-sex relationships.
The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2014 forbids same-sex marriages and unions, imposing up to 14 years imprisonment for offenders.
The Hisbah has conducted several similar arrests in the past.
In 2022, 2018, 2015, and 2007, the agency detained groups accused of holding same-sex wedding ceremonies, though none of those cases led to convictions.
Meanwhile, the arrests come amid renewed controversy over same-sex rights within global religious circles.
Earlier in October, the Church of Nigeria formally rejected the authority of the Church of England after the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
In a statement, Nigerian Primate Henry Ndukuba criticized the decision, calling it “devastating and insensitive.”
He said the move undermines traditional Anglican beliefs, especially because Bishop Mullally supports same-sex marriage and is the first woman to hold the role.
“It is more disturbing that Bishop Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage,” the Church of Nigeria stated, arguing that her appointment deepens divisions within the global Anglican community.
Public opposition to same-sex unions remains strong in Nigeria. In 2023, hundreds of students protested in Jos, Plateau State, over a proposed treaty they claimed could lead to the legalization of gay marriage.
The protesters warned that endorsing the treaty would “destroy Nigeria’s moral and religious values.”
As of press time, the Hisbah said investigations into the latest arrests in Kano were ongoing.