By Francesca Hangeior
No fewer than eleven Muslims have been arrested by the Kano State Hisbah Board for allegedly eating during the Ramadan period.
Hisbah, a Sharia police, said the suspects violated the Ramadan fast.
Among those arrested is a woman who was spotted eating groundnut during fasting time.
The arrests were made during the annual Ramadan enforcement operations, which included searches of eateries and markets, it was gathered.
Hisbah spokesman, Lawal Ibrahim, on Wednesday told newsmen that the arrests were made in Kano city’s markets.
According to Hisbah, non-Muslims are exempted from such enforcement activities, but if found selling food during fasting hours to Muslims, they could be considered guilty of the offense.
Ibrahim said: “The individuals arrested include 10 men and one woman, who was caught eating from her groundnut-selling stall.
“We apprehended 11 persons, including a lady selling groundnuts who was seen eating from her wares, after some persons alerted us.
“The other 10 persons are men who were arrested across the city, especially close to markets where a lot of activities happen.
“We don’t arrest non-Muslims because this doesn’t concern them, and the only time they could be guilty of a crime is when we find out they cook food to sell to Muslims who are supposed to be fasting.”