Kano Hisbah Bans Non-Muslims From Eating In Public During Ramadan Fast, Arrest 11 Persons

The Kano State Hisbah Board’s Department of Public Enlightenment has arrested 11 Muslims for eating during daylight hours, a time when fasting is obligatory for all adult Muslims.

The arrests were made on Tuesday, as confirmed by Hisbah spokesman Lawal Fagge to the BBC.

The group consisted of 10 men and one woman, caught eating across different parts of the city, notably near bustling marketplaces.

The Hisbah Board, a religious police force in Kano State, Nigeria, enforces Sharia law among Muslims. The arrested individuals, including a woman selling and consuming groundnuts from her own stock, were reportedly released after they committed to abstain from eating during fasting hours for the remainder of Ramadan.

They were required to swear an oath to this effect, with some also needing their relatives or guardians to vouch for their future compliance.

This crackdown follows the announcement by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, marking Monday, March 11, 2024, as the commencement of the 1445AH Ramadan.

During this period, Muslims are expected to fast from dawn until sunset, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations, among other prohibitions, to purify the soul and practice self-discipline as ordained in the Holy Quran.

Fagge emphasized that the board’s operations are targeted exclusively at Muslims, with non-Muslims exempt from these restrictions.

However, he issued a warning against non-Muslims selling food to those who are fasting, indicating that such actions would be deemed offensive.