Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, has approved the transmission of a bill to the State House of Assembly seeking to criminalise same-sex marriage and other practices considered immoral in the state.

The move was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Dawakin-Tofa

Yusuf gave the approval while presiding over the 31st Executive Council meeting held at the Government House Annexe in Kwankwasiyya City.

Kano State, one of Nigeria’s most populous northern states, is governed largely by Islamic law under the framework of Sharia, which coexists with the Nigerian Constitution.
Since the early 2000s, when Sharia was formally introduced in Kano and other northern states, successive administrations have taken strong positions on issues relating to morality, culture, and religion.

Nigeria already has a federal law—the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2014—which criminalises same-sex unions and related activities nationwide, prescribing penalties of up to 14 years in prison.