A Shari'a Court in Kano State has handed down a unique sentence combining corporal punishment, community service, and mandatory religious education to a man convicted of criminal trespass and theft.
Court Delivers Judgment on Bridge Site Theft
The court, sitting at Kofar Kudu, found Khalifa Auwal guilty of the offences committed at the ongoing Tal'adu Bridge construction site in Gwale Local Government Area. The state counsel informed the court that Auwal was arrested by security operatives while in the act of cutting iron rods from the site. During the proceedings, the defendant pleaded guilty to both charges brought against him.
Sentence Includes Caning and Rehabilitation
Presiding Judge Shamsuddeen Ado Abdullahi Unguwar Gini pronounced the judgment on Thursday, January 16, 2026. The court ordered that the convict receive 50 strokes of the cane as corporal punishment for his crimes.
In addition to the caning, the judge placed Auwal on a six-month community service bond. As a key component of his rehabilitation, the court directed him to attend Islamic studies at an Islamiyya school. Specifically, the judge ordered that Auwal study Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) under the supervision of a court official named Audu Dan Hajiya.
Context of Shari'a Law in Kano
This case comes amidst ongoing discussions about the application of Shari'a law in northern Nigeria. Recently, a coalition of Islamic scholars in Kano rejected reported pressure from the United States to scrap Shari'a law and dismantle the Hisbah system, calling such demands an intrusion into Nigeria's domestic and religious affairs.
Furthermore, the Kano state government, under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, recently outlawed an unauthorised group calling itself "Independent Hisbah Fisabilillahi" through an executive order dated December 8, 2025.
In a related development, the Emir of Kano, Dr Muhammadu Sanusi II, was recently granted special admission into a combined Bachelor of Laws programme in Common Law and Sharia at Northwest University, Kano, as confirmed in a letter dated January 12, 2026.
The sentence for Khalifa Auwal underscores the continued use of Shari'a court judgments in Kano, which blend punitive measures with prescribed religious and moral reformation for offenders.
