By Isma’il Auwal
The Kano State Hisbah Board has made u-turn and denied its earlier statement of inviting the recently crowned Miss Nigeria, Ms Shatu Garko, and her parents for questioning.
In an interview with SAHELIAN TIMES, the Board’s spokesperson, Lawan Ibrahim Fagge, stated that he is unaware of any plan to invite Ms Garko or her family members.
“I received calls from journalists desperately trying to verify the authenticity of the stories carried by various media houses,” Lawal said.
“Unfortunately, the Commandant of the Board was not in office yesterday and was not on sit today.”
Haruna Ibn-Sina, the commandant of the Hisbah board, previously told the BBC Hausa that Garko’s parents would be summoned to answer questions about their daughter’s actions.
He stressed that participating in Miss Nigeria is un-Islamic and that her actions may inspire other young women to pursue such kind of immoral acts.
Ibn Sina also noted that they have confirmed that Ms Garko is a Muslim from Kano, a Sharia state, and as such they would not let her actions pass by without interrogations.
“We (Hisbah) have confirmed that Shatu Garko is a Muslim from Kano state and her parents come from Garko LGA. Kano is a Sharia state and this is why we will not allow the matter to die like that.”
“We will invite the parents to talk to them about the actions of their daughter and the fact that what she did is unlawful in Islam. This is to make them know that she cannot continue that path and also stop other girls from copying her.”
Speaking further, Ibn Sina cited different instances from the Quran to explain his point on why Garko’s participation in the Miss Nigeria pageant is un-Islamic.
“In Islam, it is forbidden for anyone to participate in a beauty contest. A lot of things happen in such contest which is against Islam. For instance, there is usually a lot of people who expose their bodies during the event, while such contest teaches girls not to be shy and reserved.”
According to the Kano Hisbah commandant, organisers of such beauty pageants risk facing the wrath of God.
