Court orders arrest of popular Kano musician

A Kano State High Court has ordered the Police to arrest a popular Hausa musician, Ado Isa Gwanja.

The court sitting presided by Justice Aisha Mahmud affirmed the earlier ruling by an Upper Sharia Court Bichi which ordered the musician’s arrest last year.

A private legal practitioner, Barrister Badamasi Gandu, on behalf of Kano Ulamas Forum, had dragged Ado Gwanja and six others before the Upper Sharia Court, seeking leave of the court to arrest and investigate the activities of the defendants because “most of things they did were against the moral teachings of Islam and cultural values of Kano State”.

Gwanja and others, however, rushed to the state high court seeking a restraining order against their arrest.

The court subsequently granted an interim order stopping the police from effecting his arrest pending hearing in his fundamental rights enforcement application.

On Monday, Justice Aisha Mahmud however withdrew the earlier restraining order and directed police to arrest and investigate the musician.

The court also barred the musician from performance at public events like wedding ceremonies pending determination of the substantive suit.

It ordered him to henceforth submit his music to the state film and videos censorship board for approval.