This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
On July 10, 2019, in Kano, Nigeria, four men were arrested for allegedly organizing a false marriage on Facebook, sparking outrage and death threats.
The incident occurred in a region where Sharia law operates, and the Islamic enforcement agency, Hisbah, said the wedding was perceived to have made a mockery of the institution of marriage.
Hisbah's chief, Abba Sufi, stated that the men were arrested for making a mockery of the sanctity of marriage and that they had shown remorse.
The suspects, aged between 30 and 32, were picked up on Tuesday, days after news circulated that one of them married a young woman on Facebook in a ceremony witnessed by the others.
The groom, Sanusi Abdullahi, confessed to having 'jokingly' offered a female Facebook friend a bride price of 20,000 naira ($56) during the 'online marriage' on the condition that the money would be paid after she moved into his house.
His three accomplices stood as witnesses in the ceremony, which was more of a 'banter' between friends.
The incident sparked an uproar from radical Muslim clerics, who called for the arrest and prosecution of the suspects.
Abdullahi even received death threats on his mobile phone and was assaulted by an attacker while leaving the mosque after evening prayers on Monday before his arrest.
