The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has issued a stern warning that any traditional title holder within the emirate found guilty of beating or injuring his wife will be stripped of his title.
Sanusi made this declaration on Monday, July 21, while receiving a delegation from the development Research and Project Center (dRPC) and the Center for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID) at Bayero University, Kano, during a visit to his palace.
The visit was part of an advocacy project supported by the Ford Foundation aimed at mentoring Muslim opinion leaders to combat gender-based violence (GBV) across northern Nigeria.
The monarch, known for his strong stance on social reforms, condemned domestic violence in all forms, saying it has no basis in Islam.
He said: “I never believe in beating women, and those who do are not doing it to reform them. What we see today are serious beatings and injuries in the name of discipline. That is unacceptable.”
Quoting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Sanusi added: “Whosoever beats and injures his wife is not a good person. It is the Prophet who said this, not me. Those who claim otherwise clearly do not understand the religion.”
Sanusi, who conducted a five-year research on nine Kano Shari’a courts during his doctoral study, described the prevalence of GBV in the state as alarming.
He called on Islamic clerics and Imams to use their influence to drive attitudinal change in society, adding that “Islamic jurisprudence already provides a strong legal framework to protect women’s rights.”
The Emir also backed calls to revisit and implement the Kano State Family Law draft, which aims to safeguard women and children from domestic abuse and improve family welfare.
Speaking earlier, the Director of CICID, Dr. Taofeek Abubakar Hussain, reaffirmed that Islam promotes justice and respect for women.
“We engaged and trained clerics who will go back to their communities to preach the Islamic position on GBV. It is not part of our religion,” he said.
Dr. Hussain also appealed to the emirate to institutionalise training for traditional titleholders on their roles in ending GBV and promoting gender justice.
“Our goal is to reduce gender-based violence to the barest minimum through the influence of respected religious and traditional leaders,” he added.
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