The Commander General of the Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Daurawa, disclosed this during a press briefing in Kano on Monday, July 9, 2024.
He emphasized that the state government has prohibited any group or association that advocates for LGBTQ rights. The board has acted against several such groups operating under the guise of empowerment, he added.
Sheikh Aminu called on the public, religious leaders, traditional leaders, media, and other stakeholders to join in combating what he described as immoral activities in the state.
However, the arrested staff member, Gama, a medical officer with the board, explained that he had been invited to a workshop on women’s empowerment through WhatsApp, where a paper on human rights was presented.
He clarified that he is not a member of any LGBTQ advocacy group and was invited solely by the Women Initiative for Sustainable Empowerment and Equality (WISE) for the workshop.
“I was personally invited, and after the program, I was interviewed about the police arrests of LGBTQ members, where I expressed that it was a human rights violation,” he stated.
Gama appealed for leniency and pledged not to engage with WISE in the future.
A video from the workshop showed the official expressing his views, saying, “As I get closer to LGBTQ persons, I realize they are like me, human beings. I feel like I’m dealing with my brothers and sisters. We all deserve equal treatment.”
Earlier, Kano State’s commissioner for information, Baba Halilu Dantiye, had ordered a crackdown on all groups promoting LGBTQ rights in the state. He emphasized that the activities of WISE were against the state’s moral standards and Sharia law.
The group was formerly known as Women Action for Gender Equality before changing its name to Women Initiative for Sustainable Empowerment and Equality.
