Nigeria religious police hunt social media influencers for 'immoral video'

Religious police in Nigeria's Kano State said Wednesday they are hunting six social media celebrities who had promised to clean up their content and then produced an "immoral video". 

Kano is one of 12 predominantly Muslim states in northern Nigeria where sharia religious law is enforced alongside common law.

Police in Kano city ordered the internet celebrities to report to them after an "immoral video" they posted spread on social media, said Aminu Daurawa, head of the Hisbah religious police. 

Daurawa said the six were "'wanted' for them to come and have a discussion on why they posted the video after promising us they would never do such again." 

The three women and three men, include 24-year old Murja Kunya, whose past troubles with the religious police over controversial videos have led to her temporary detention. 

The others were named as Gfresh, Saadiya Haruna, Ashiru Idris, Ummee Shakira and Hassan Makeup. 

Kano state's immoral acts law allows for imprisonment and fines for immoral displays including on social media. 

In November, Kunya and dozens of social media influencers attended a meeting when police said they had promised to reform their content. 

Daurawa said no charges were immediately planned however. "All we want to do is to admonish them and give them a chance to explain why they walked back on the promise they made to us," Daurawa said. 

The Islamic police chief said he would seek to get the influencers' social media accounts suspended rather than taking them to court. 

Kano is home to a burgeoning film industry dubbed Kannywood, which produces more than 200 films a month in the regional Hausa language. Hundreds of small studios make music videos.  

Kannywood has been under close watch by Muslim clerics and officials who accuse it of promoting un-Islamic values.