Kano Hisbah orders YouTube film series producers to submit scripts for approval before uploading content.
The Kano State Hisbah Corps is a religious police force in Nigeria’s Kano state responsible for the enforcement of Sharia. As of 2021 its high profile commander was Haruna Ibn-Sina.
In a statement Thursday, film producers have been urged to submit scripts for approval before uploading on the internet – the groups’ statement is directed at the Hausa-language cinema, known informally as Kannywood, a film industry of Northern Nigeria based in Kano.
Hisbah, which is an Arabic word meaning “accountability”, is an Islamic religious concept that calls for “enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong on every Muslim.”
NewsWireNGR recalls that, in 2020, the Kano State Film and Censorship Board had promised to monitor the Hausa YouTube channels in order to guard against immorality in the state, NAN reports.
The Executive Secretary of the board Isma’il Naabba, made this known on Thursday in an interview with NAN in Kano.
“It has become imperative to sanitise the space, as many movie makers have found an escape route to showcase their immorality since they were not censored,” Mr. Naabba said. “In line with the aim of the board, we invited YouTube channel operators, who upload Hausa movie contents, to create better understanding.”
“We made it clear to them that everyone must henceforth bring his/her film to the board for censoring before uploading on these channels,” he said.
Mr. Naabba, who warned that the board would sanction all defaulters, urged them to always contact the board for advice and clarifications.
While soliciting for the public support, the executive secretary warned the operators to cooperate with the board to achieve its aims.
