A Magistrate Court in Kano has ordered two well-known TikTok content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to legalise their relationship through marriage within 60 days.
The order, delivered on Monday by Magistrate Halima Wali, followed a series of viral videos showing the pair engaging in romantic acts deemed “indecent” by the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board.
The court’s verdict, which many have described as both unusual and controversial, instructs the Kano State Hisbah Board to oversee the marriage process between the two social media influencers.
While delivering her ruling, Magistrate Wali cautioned that failure to carry out the marriage within the specified time frame would constitute contempt of court.
She also directed the chairman of the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board to ensure compliance with the marriage order.
The ruling comes weeks after the two TikTokers were arraigned on charges of producing and distributing obscene content online.
The videos, which went viral across TikTok and other social media platforms, allegedly showed affectionate moments between Mai Wushirya and Yar Guda—content which the Censorship Board claimed contravened moral and religious standards governing public behaviour in the state.
Officials from the board argued that the videos violated provisions of Kano State’s censorship laws, which prohibit the creation and sharing of sexually suggestive or explicit material.
“Such behaviour undermines the values we stand for and sets a dangerous example for the youth,” an official of the board said.
Mai Wushirya had earlier been remanded in a correctional facility after being accused by investigators of encouraging immoral conduct through his comedy skits. His creative partner, Yar Guda, was also interrogated by the board’s enforcement unit before the case was taken to court.
The development has stirred diverse reactions among Kano residents. Some applauded the court’s decision as a moral intervention in line with the state’s Islamic values, while others criticised it as an infringement on personal liberty and a concerning legal precedent.
A resident of Kofar Nassarawa, Aliyu Salisu, said that the court’s judgement was “a wise decision” that would deter immorality 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, another resident, Zainab Ahmed from Hotoro, disagreed, calling the judgement “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 said.
As of the time of reporting, neither Mai Wushirya nor Yar Guda has publicly commented on the court’s directive.
The case has reignited national debate over the extent to which the state should regulate social behaviour and online content in northern Nigeria.
