In Kano State, a magistrate court has stunned social-media watchers by ordering two popular TikTok creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira ...
In Kano State, a magistrate court has stunned social-media watchers by ordering two popular TikTok creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to get married within 60 days after their videos were deemed “indecent.” The directive tasks the Kano State Hisbah Board with making it happen — a move that has already sparked comparisons with other Nigerian censorship flash-points, such as when the TikTok-skit creator scene in Lagos faced crack-downs for bold content last year.
In Kano, social-media is making national headlines — but not in the usual ‘viral dance’ way. A magistrate court has stepped in and ordered two well-known TikTok stars to formalise their relationship through marriage. The names: Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda. The reason: their videos surfaced online, showing romantic interactions that the state’s censorship board described as “immoral and demeaning.” The ruling came on Monday, October 20, 2025, under the oversight of Magistrate Halima Wali. The court directed the Hisbah Board to facilitate the marriage within 60 days, and warned that failing to comply would be contempt of court.
According to the ruling, the videos violated local laws regulating production and distribution of sexually suggestive content. The Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board said the clips—one showing Wushirya shirtless alongside Basira, a dwarf woman—went beyond acceptable social-media behaviour under the state’s moral code.
The court didn’t stop there. It ordered the Chairman of the Censorship Board to oversee that the marriage gets done. The Hisbah Board must now coordinate logistics and ensure the duo walk down the aisle within the timeframe. If they don’t? They face legal consequences
This is more than a quirky ruling — it’s a sign of how powerful state regulators are becoming in managing online behaviour in northern Nigeria. Elsewhere, content creators in Lagos, Abuja and beyond have clashed with community standards, but rarely has a court forced marriage as a remedy. In Lagos last year, a skit-maker was arrested after a video glorifying partying was deemed harmful to youth values.
Social-media users are reacting too: some argue the ruling is an overreach of state power into private lives, while others say it reinforces cultural norms. The Kano government has lately cracked harder on creators it says promote “immorality”, and this case is now emblematic of that shift.
For the two creators involved — Wushirya and Basira — the next 60 days are crucial. Whether they go ahead with the marriage or face sanctions could influence how far other states go in policing TikTok, Instagram Reels and other digital content platforms.
Conclusion
This extraordinary court order in Kano shows just how seriously the state is treating content creators and social-media behaviour. With the #TikTokCouple given a hard 60-day deadline to marry, all eyes are on whether the ruling will be enforced — and how it will shape future regulation of online influencers in Nigeria. The outcome may well set a precedent for digital culture across the region.