A Nigerian court has ordered popular TikTok personalities Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda to marry in real life within 60 days.
The Kano Magistrate Court ruled that the pair, who have been portraying a "couple" on TikTok, should formalise their relationship.
The unusual ruling follows months of viral videos showing the pair in what authorities deemed "immoral" exchanges. The videos drew millions of views and attracted the attention of the authorities.
The Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board had said that the pair had crossed moral and religious boundaries in their social media content.
The Kano State Hisbah Board, the state's Islamic law and morality enforcement agency, has now been ordered to arrange and formalise the marriage.
‘Obscene content’
Presiding Magistrate Halima Wali issued the directive on Monday, 20 October, warning that failure to complete the marriage within the 60-day period would amount to contempt of court.
According to Nigeria's Daily Trust media outlet, the two TikTokers were earlier arraigned for allegedly creating and sharing obscene content, with Mai Wushirya even spending time in remand.
The latest court decision has sparked a heated debate on social media, with some commentators welcoming the unexpected "happy ending" and others questioning whether love should be forced by law.
The head of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, told journalists that they have already started discussing wedding plans with the TikTokers, but added that they will not conduct the marriage against the pair's will.
Daurawa said that if they eventually agree to marry, the board will ask them to undergo medical examinations, including genotype tests, which is standard practice for intending couples in the northern Nigerian state, where Islamic law is practised alongside the country's secular laws.
With these developments unfolding, it seems that wedding bells might be ringing for Idris and Basira, and Nigerians are watching as the 60-day countdown begins.
