Islamic police arrest TikToker in northern Nigeria

The Islamic police in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano say they have arrested a popular female TikToker for posting “indecent and un-Islamic” content on the social media app.

Two weeks ago the police unit, known as Hisbah, launched a manhunt for six TikTokers who they say constantly violate Islamic guidelines in their use of social media.

Hisbah spokesperson Lawal Fagge told the BBC that Murja Ibrahim Kunya was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday, along with her boyfriend.

“Our officers picked her up by 1:00am (00:00 GMT) at her residence alongside her boyfriend, who is also with us.”

“Her neighbours have earlier complained to us about her conduct as well. At the moment we are investigating before taking the next step,” he said.

Ms Kunya is accused of using vulgar and uncouth language in her videos, which are watched by millions of people.

She has not commented on the allegation, but has been seen in an unverified video circulating on social media since her arrest.

She is heard saying that she did not steal anything, and she thanks God for that.

When announcing the manhunt, Hisbah head Aminu Daurawa said the TikTok users had failed to comply with previous orders to tone down their content.

Kano has a majority Muslim population and an Islamic legal system operates alongside secular law in the state.