Human Rights Commission To Probe Kano Police Over Mass Wedding Ban

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it would probe the circumstances that led the Kano State Police Command to stop last Saturday’s mass wedding organised by Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for 100 intending couples in his constituency.

Angwe who commended the aggrieved protesters for towing the path of the rule of law, noted that the right to free association and by extension marriage, is constitutionally-guaranteed.

Sen. Kwankwaso who is sponsoring the mass weddings had earlier on Wednesdaypetitioned the Police Service Commission PSC, asking it to call the Kano police authorities to order.

Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe stated this Thursday in Abuja when some of the intending couples stormed the commission to submit a petition detailing how the police in Kano violated their human rights.

Angwe said: “In 1999, Nigerians freely voted to return to democratic rule. That is to say that Nigerians chose democracy as opposed to military rule. By that token, Nigeria had become a fully democratic natiuon which not only recognises the rights of citizens as enshrined in the constitution but also the rights of citizens of Nigeria to benefit from the provisos of international instruments that prescioribe the norms that are responsible for the promotion and enforcement of rights. The NHRC has the mandate to enforce all the fundamental human rights enshrined in the constitution. One of those rights is the right to free association which includes the liberty of Nigerians to get married”

Promising to investigate the issue, he said, “we will seek to find if there exists any justification known in law for the steps taken by the CP Kano state command. We would give opportunity to the police to defend itself”.

Representative of the intending couples, Khadijat Ibrahim had earlier told journalists that the police, acting in concert with the Kano state government decided to scuttle their wedding just because it was sponsored by Sen. Kwankwaso.

According to her, the beneficiaries only resorted to seeking the support of the Kwankwasiyya Development Association, after the state government rebuffed their pleas to assist them.

She said, “marriage in Islam is seen as important to maintaining the moral fabric of the society and to also stem the tide of drug abuse”, saying having fulfilled all legal requirements for marriage including medical tests and other religious obligations, there was no justification in the action of the state government using the police to stop their marriages.

glean: Leadership Newspaper