{"id":61178,"date":"2026-08-09T10:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T14:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nigerias-mass-wedding-and-how-telling-lovers-from-fraudsters-is-proving-tricky\/09\/08\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T10:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T14:06:38","slug":"nigerias-mass-wedding-and-how-telling-lovers-from-fraudsters-is-proving-tricky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nigerias-mass-wedding-and-how-telling-lovers-from-fraudsters-is-proving-tricky\/09\/08\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria&#8217;s mass wedding &#8211; and how telling lovers from fraudsters is proving tricky"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\" data-body-type=\"bodyblocks\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Celebrations have turned the northern Nigerian city of Kano into a riot of colour and excitement over the last week as 1,500 couples married at a mass wedding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For days the city&#8217;s streets have been buzzing with bridal parties and their families preparing outfits and attending other organised events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On Friday, brides in red hijabs with grooms in matching red hats and white robes went to the palace of the Emir, the city&#8217;s traditional Muslim leader, for the main ceremony where they officially became husband and wife.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The nuptials culminated on Saturday with a wedding breakfast hosted by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who offered his blessing to the newlyweds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Kano state government sponsored this initiative, spending 1.5bn naira ($1m; \u00a3815,000) to support those tying the knot &#8211; providing the bride&#8217;s dowry and furniture for the couple&#8217;s first home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The scheme targets low-income individuals who cannot afford the significant financial costs associated with marriage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The annual event was initiated in 2012 by the then-governor when 100 couples &#8211; primarily widows and divorcees &#8211; wed at the palace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The mass weddings have continued under subsequent governors, with numbers expanding each year as demand has grown and included those in polygamous Muslim marriages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Such is the popularity of the scheme that 5,000 couples applied this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The event is always overseen by the Hisbah &#8211; the city&#8217;s Islamic police force &#8211; and one of their main tasks is to vet the couples wanting to wed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kano has a majority Muslim population and Sharia operates in the state alongside the secular legal system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mujahid Aminudeen, deputy commander-general of the Hisbah, admits it is not an easy task.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Whenever we find out that there&#8217;s something dubious or fishy about a couple, we disqualify them,&#8221; he tells the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He says some couples will go to great lengths to convince the authorities that they are a genuine love match when their eye is more on the benefits on offer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\"><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\"><\/p>\n<p>The Hisbah office has been very busy for weeks as brides and grooms try to ensure they made the final list [Mahmud Bashir]<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The state government has spent approximately 1m naira ($735; \u00a3544) on each participating couple.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to the Hisbah, the support package a couple receives includes essential household items needed to establish a new home: beds, mattresses, bedsheets, pillows, furniture and food supplies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Each bride receives a dowry of 100,000 naira, while a further 100,000 naira is provided as start-up capital to encourage small-scale entrepreneurship and help the couple achieve financial self-reliance after marriage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">All intending couples must undergo comprehensive medical examinations &#8211; including tests for HIV, hepatitis, pregnancy and genotype compatibility &#8211; before being cleared for the programme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Aminudeen revealed that some couples had been disqualified after being discovered to have altered their medical test results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In one case, an intending bride was found to have presented her brother as the groom in an attempt to benefit from the scheme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Local journalist Yusuf Ali Abdallah, who has covered the mass weddings for years, said Nigeria&#8217;s struggling economy had been fuelling desperation among the applicants this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;As we all know, marriage involves spending money and the country&#8217;s economy is not bright at the moment,&#8221; he told the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This makes some people desperate to get on this list.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One couple who were already married had even attempted to present themselves as an intending pair before being detected and removed from the programme, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Other charlatans have tried to take advantage of those desperate to get on the sponsored list, which was made public two weeks ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One Kano resident, who asked to be anonymous, said he had been asked to pay a bribe to get on the list.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;But to be fair to the organisers, I later found out those who asked me for money were not Hisbah staff,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He and his fianc\u00e9e failed to be chosen for this August&#8217;s wedding but he said he would try again next year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"One of the Nigeria mass wedding brides Amina Alhassan wearing a blue Hijab\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"473\" height=\"266\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/a8eb9be3fdb540a4027761cca8eab2d045f22de5078cc4b6acfaa0f656a89953\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w473_h266%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fbbc_us_articles_995%2F7c6bdb21a1af2baa93beed5d9d618c78\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\"><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\"><\/p>\n<p>Amina Alhassan, 24, says she could not have afforded to get married at the moment had it not been for the mass wedding scheme [Mahmud Bashir]<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Aminudeen admitted that the Islamic police were aware of such allegations: &#8220;We have found that there are some people asking others to pay certain money so they can make the list.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But the Hisbah officer wanted to assure all those wishing to wed in future that the entire process should not cost them a single naira.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We want to announce to the people of Kano that the whole process is free: from the selection to the medicals and the goods set aside for couples &#8211; all are covered by the government.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One of successful grooms, 43-year-old clothes trader Rabiu Yusuf, agreed the process of applying to be married had gone smoothly for him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Personally, no-one asked me for anything. I was told the government would sponsor it all,&#8221; he told the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">His new wife is Aisha Auwal &#8211; the couple met as she regularly visited his shop to buy clothes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Yusuf, who already has five children with his first wife, said he was &#8220;very happy and can&#8217;t wait to start a new life&#8221; with his customer-turned-bride.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">24 year-old Amina Alhassan echoed his sentiments, adding that she had not encountered any problems when applying to marry 40-year-old Nura Abdullahi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Their union was first arranged by their families in Dambatta village before they presented themselves to the Hisbah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Everything has been free and I want to commend the Kano government for this scheme because without it, many couldn&#8217;t have afforded to marry due to the high cost of living.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After Saturday&#8217;s wedding feast, the presentation of the household goods began.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But it will take several more days for the excitement to die down in Kano and as the newlyweds busy themselves with setting up home together.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">You may also be interested in:<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"To the right of the banner a woman with sunglasses on her head and wearing a denim jacket and yellow T-shirt looks down at her mobile phone. A graphic for BBC News Africa in black and red is on the left of the image which has a pale golden brown background.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"295\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/57a7ed021d83f9cbedf84699e6cb8e5f7b9a437f218ce8f320963ce74784bb8d\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fbbc_us_articles_995%2Fe11b47016236f642dfb0a2c49eb6a270\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Go to <\/em><a data-ylk=\"slk:BBCAfrica.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"http:\/\/bbcafrica.com\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>BBCAfrica.com<\/em><\/a><em> for more news from the African continent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Follow us on Twitter <\/em><a data-ylk=\"slk:@BBCAfrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BBCAfrica\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>@BBCAfrica<\/em><\/a><em>, on Facebook at <\/em><a data-ylk=\"slk:BBC Africa;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BBCnewsafrica\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>BBC Africa<\/em><\/a><em> or on Instagram at <\/em><a data-ylk=\"slk:bbcafrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bbcafrica\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em>bbcafrica<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">BBC Africa podcasts<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/world\/articles\/nigerias-mass-wedding-telling-lovers-011057548.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Celebrations have turned the northern Nigerian city of Kano into a riot of colour and excitement over the last week as 1,500<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nigerias-mass-wedding-and-how-telling-lovers-from-fraudsters-is-proving-tricky\/09\/08\/2026\/\">Read More 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