Kano Hisbah to regulate social media over ‘immorality’ on TikTok

The Kano Hisbah and the State Censorship Board say they are working together to regulate social media, particularly Tik Tok, to curb “immoral acts” among Muslims in the state.

Executive Director of the Kano censorship board, Ismail Na’abba Afakallah, made the disclosure in an interview with Daily Trust.

Mr Afakallah accused Tik Tok of providing an avenue for Muslims to engage in indecent acts, prompting the moral police to expand its scope from Kannywood to social media.

Our board and Hisbah have set up a Committee that will provide a system that will tackle this menace. It is not only Kannywood stars that are engaged in most of the immoral acts on Tik Tok, most of the people abusing it aren’t in the industry,” Mr Afakallah said.

“It is a global challenge. People see it as a free world where they can do whatever they like. And we cannot allow that because it would spoil the moral upbringing of our children,” he added.

The executive director described Tik Tok as an harbinger of waywardness capable of damaging the good moral upbringing of the Nigerian Muslim child and must be regulated.

“We are concerned with influential Tik Tokers too who aren’t filmmakers because they spoil our children’s character and moral upbringing. We can’t accept you to go wayward.

“The platform has become a harbinger of marriage failures, waywardness among other factors,” Mr Afakallah said.

He stressed that Muslim social media users from the state were “now misusing the privilege and disseminating negative information” on Tik Tok.

“You will see mature girls every now and then dancing irresponsibly and exhibiting all forms of indecency on the social media, especially Tik Tok and Instagram.”

This attempt to regulate social media among Muslims in Kano is coming amid accusations of theft directed at the Hisbah board’s commander general, alleged to have hijacked the 2022 hajj slots for his family and cronies, depriving qualified government officials.