Nigerian TikTok stars sentenced to 20 lashes for defaming governor

Two TikTok stars in Nigeria’s Kano state who mocked a government official in Nigeria have been sentenced to be whipped 20 times under Sharia law.

According to local media reports, Mubarak Isa Muhammed and Muhammed Bula allegedly insulted Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the northern state of Kano.

Their video, in which they mocked Mr. Ganduje for alleged land grabbing, corruption, and sleeping on the job, was posted last week.

They posted the clip on TikTok and Facebook and Muhammad, who is known as Unique Pikin online, was arrested along with Mr. Bula.

Their action was 'capable of disturbing public peace' according to prosecution lawyer Wada Ahmed Wada, who said they had defamed the governor.

Both men pleaded guilty and asked the judge for leniency. However, the judge ordered them to be given 20 lashes each, pay a fine of 10,000 naira (£20) and clean the court for 30 days.

They also had to apologise to Mr. Ganduje on social media for their actions.

In Kano state, only Muslims are sentenced in Sharia court. But it is a state, among 12 others, which practices Sharia law among secular laws, as it is a Muslim-majority area.