The Kano State Hisbah Board, popularly known as Sharia Police, said it would probe the participation of Shatu Garko in the recently-concluded Miss Nigeria beauty pageant.
The Sharia Police boss, Sheik Ibn Sina, made this known to BBC News Pidgin.
Garko was crowned the 44th Miss Nigeria after beating 17 other finalists at an event on Friday, December 17, 2022, in Lagos.
The 18-year-old Garko becomes the first hijabi to win the Miss Nigeria pageant since its inception in 1957.
She was also the youngest contestant this year, winning N10m, a one-year residency at a luxury apartment, a brand new car, and brand ambassadorship opportunities.
Speaking on Garko’s participation in the beauty pageant, Ibn Sina described it as “illegal”, adding that her parents would be invited for questioning.
“We (Hisbah) have confirmed that Shatu Garko is a Muslim from Kano state and her parents come from Garko Local government area. Kano is a sharia state and this is why we would not allow the matter to pass.
“We will invite the parents to talk to them about the actions of their daughter and the fact that what she did is illegal in Islam in case they don’t know so that she would not continue in that path and also stop other girls from copying her”, Sheik Ibn Sina, told BBC News Pidgin; adding that, it was forbidden for one to contest in any beauty contest under the Muslim religion.
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