11 Muslims arrested for eating during Ramadan in Kano

Officials of the Kano State Hisbah Board have arrested 11 Muslims in the state for eating during the day in the month of Ramadan.

The arrests were made during Ramadan enforcement operations which involved searching of eateries and markets.

Confirming the arrests in an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, the board’s Public Relations Officer, Lawal Ibrahim, disclosed that the arrests were made on Tuesday across the city.

“The individuals arrested include 10 men and one woman, who was caught eating from her groundnut-selling stall,” he said.

According to him, non-muslims are exempted from enforcement activity.

However, he said if non-Muslims are found selling food to Muslims during fasting hours, they could be found guilty of a crime.

“We apprehended 11 persons on Tuesday, including a lady selling groundnuts who was seen eating from her wares after some persons alerted us. The other 10 persons were men and were arrested across the city, especially close to markets where a lot of activities happen.

“We don’t arrest non-Muslims because this doesn’t concern them, and the only time they could be guilty of a crime is when we find out they cook food to sell to Muslims who are supposed to be fasting,” he said.

Ramadan fast started on Monday, March 11, 2024.