The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned an alleged order from a Magistrate court in Kano directing two popular TikTok content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to marry within 60 days.
In a statement issued by NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the association called the development a “grave misunderstanding of the limits of judicial authority” and an “affront to the fundamental rights” of the individuals involved.
The court order, reportedly issued by Magistrate Halima Wali, followed a case arising from the publication of an indecent video involving the two content creators.
The NBA flatly rejected the legality of such a directive. “No court has the power to compel any person to marry another… or two persons to mandatorily marry,” Osigwe stated. “It is indeed unconstitutional and therefore unlawful for any court to purport to have power to make such an order.”
The association stressed that marriage is, by its nature, a “voluntary union between consenting adults” and cannot be imposed by a court as a form of punishment, moral correction, or judicial remedy.
According to the NBA, any attempt to compel marriage violates the rights to personal liberty, dignity of the human person, and privacy, all of which are guaranteed under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The NBA president warned that such “judicial overreach” not only infringes on personal freedoms but also “undermines public confidence in the judiciary.”
“The courts must remain the bastion of justice and protectors of constitutional rights, not instruments for enforcing social conformity or moral compulsion,” the statement read.
The association has called for an “immediate review” of the magistrate’s decision and urged relevant judicial authorities to take steps to prevent a recurrence of such unconstitutional orders.
Furthermore, the NBA has directed its Citizens’ Liberties Committee and Women’s Forum to monitor the situation closely to ensure 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 statement concluded.
