TikTok stars are sentenced to be whipped 20 times under Sharia law after mocking government official in Nigeria
- Mubarak Isa Muhammed and Muhammed Bula insulted governor of Kano
- The Sharia legal system is practised there alongside country’s secular laws
- Men were sentenced to be given 20 lashes each, pay a fine and clean the court
TikTok stars who mocked a government official in Nigeria have been sentenced to be whipped 20 times under Sharia law.
Mubarak Isa Muhammed and Muhammed Bula insulted Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the northern state of Kano.
Their video, in which they mocked Mr Ganduje for alleged land grabbing, corruption and sleeping on the job, was posted last week.
They posted the clip on TikTok and Facebook and Muhammad, who is known as Unique Pikin online, was arrested along with Mr Bula.
TikTok stars Mubarak Isa Muhammed and Muhammed Bula insulted Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the northern state of Kano, where the Sharia legal system is practised alongside the country’s secular laws (file image)
Their action was ‘capable of disturbing public peace’ according to prosecution lawyer Wada Ahmed Wada, who said they had defamed the governor.
Both men pleaded guilty and asked the judge for leniency. However, the judge ordered them to be given 20 lashes each, pay a fine of 10,000 naira (£20) and clean the court for 30 days.
They also had to apologise to Mr Ganduje on social media for their actions.
In Kano state, only Muslims are sentenced in Sharia court. But it is a state, among 12 others, which practises Sharia law among secular laws, as it is a Muslim-majority area.
The BBC reported that their lawyer, Bashir Yusuf, said they would not challenge the judgement.
This is because they received a ‘non-custodial’ sentence and would not be jailed.
The sentencing of the TikTok stars as the trend for social media stars grows in Nigeria, using comedy as a means to comment on society and political issues.
The TikTokers rack up thousands of followers and occasionally mock public figures and post the videos on their accounts.
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