The Islamic police in Kano state, northern Nigeria, arrested 11 Muslims on Tuesday who were caught eating during the Ramadan fast.
Kano, with its large Muslim population, operates both the Islamic legal system—Sharia—alongside secular law.
Known as Hisbah, the Islamic police routinely inspect eateries and markets every year during Ramadan.
The 10 men and one woman who were arrested were released after they swore an oath not to intentionally skip the fasting again.
“We caught 11 people on Tuesday, including a lady who was selling peanuts. She was eating from the peanuts she was selling, and some people alerted us,” Lawal Fagge, a spokesperson for Hisbah, told the BBC.
“The other 10 are men, and we arrested them across the city, especially near the markets where many activities happen.”
He added that the search operations would continue but clarified that non-Muslims are not targeted.
“We don’t arrest non-Muslims because the fast does not concern them, and the only time they might be considered guilty of a crime is when we find out they are cooking food to sell to Muslims who are supposed to be fasting.”
He explained that the men were released after they promised to start fasting from then on, and “for some of them, we need to see their relatives or guardians so that their families can monitor them.”
It’s been just over 20 years since Sharia was introduced to work alongside secular law in 12 northern states in Nigeria with large Muslim populations.
What is Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and holds special significance in Islam.
Muslims believe that during this month, the first verses of the Quran—Islam’s holy book—were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which outlines the framework for how Muslims should live their lives. The fast is observed during the daytime.
This year, Ramadan is expected to last 30 days, starting on Monday, March 11, and possibly ending on Tuesday, April 9.