Islamic police say arrests followed routine Ramadan patrols as offenders were released after pledging to observe the fast

The Kano State Hisbah Police have arrested 11 Muslims for allegedly eating during fasting hours in the ongoing Ramadan period.

The arrests were carried out on Wednesday during routine patrols by the Islamic police, who enforce compliance with Sharia law in the predominantly Muslim northern Nigerian state.

Kano operates an Islamic legal system alongside Nigeria’s secular laws, with Hisbah officials conducting annual inspections of eateries, markets, and public spaces during Ramadan to ensure adherence to fasting rules.

According to the Hisbah, those arrested included 10 men and one woman. The woman was reportedly selling groundnuts and was caught eating from her wares, while the men were apprehended in different parts of the city, particularly around busy market areas.

“We got 11 persons on Wednesday, including a lady selling groundnuts who was seen eating from her wares after some persons alerted us,” Hisbah spokesman Lawal Fagge told the BBC. “The others were men arrested across the city, especially close to markets where there is a lot of activity.”

Fagge said all 11 suspects were later released after swearing an oath that they would not deliberately miss the Ramadan fast again. He added that in some cases, relatives or guardians were asked to take responsibility for monitoring the individuals to ensure compliance.

The Hisbah spokesman stressed that enforcement operations would continue throughout Ramadan but clarified that non-Muslims are exempt from the fasting rules.

“We don’t arrest non-Muslims because this doesn’t concern them,” he said. “The only time they could be guilty of an offence is if they cook food to sell to Muslims who are supposed to be fasting.”