Ramadan: Kano Hisbah arrests 11 Muslims for eating during the day

The Kano State Hisbah board has apprehended 11 Muslims for “violating the Ramadan fast” by eating during daylight hours.

The arrests were made during the annual Ramadan enforcement operations, which included searches of eateries and markets.

The Public Relations Officer of the board, Lawal Ibrahim, who confirmed the arrests in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service monitored on Wednesday, said the arrests were made on Tuesday near markets across the city.

He added, “The individuals arrested comprise 10 men and one woman, who was caught eating from her groundnut-selling stall.”

He explained that non-Muslims are exempt from such enforcement activities, but if found selling food during fasting hours to Muslims, they could be in violation.

“We apprehended 11 persons on Tuesday, including a lady selling groundnuts who was seen eating from her wares, after some persons alerted us. The other 10 persons were men and were arrested across the city, especially close to markets where a lot of activities happen.

“We don’t arrest non-Muslims because this doesn’t concern them, and the only time they could be guilty of a crime is when we find out they cook food to sell to Muslims who are supposed to be fasting,” he said.