Emir Sanusi 11
The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on Monday prescribed for harsher punishment for perpetrators of gender-based violence (GBV) in Kano State, warning all district and village heads that anyone found guilty of beating his wife would lose his title.
Emir Sanusi 11 who emphasised that no good Muslim should beat his wife decried the rising cases of rape and domestic violence in the state.
Speaking at his palace while receiving a delegation from the Development Research and Project Centre (dRPC) and the Bayero University Centre for Islamic Civilization and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID), the Emir noted that Islam honours and protects the rights of women and condemned those who misuse religion as a justification for abuse.
The visit was part of an advocacy project funded by the Ford Foundation, aimed at mentoring Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) to help combat GBV in predominantly Muslim states in northern Nigeria.
Sanusi said, “I have never supported beating women. Those who engage in such acts do not do so with the intention of reforming them. What we are seeing today are violent assaults that leave women seriously injured”.
According to the Emir, “Anyone who beats or injures his wife is not a good person. This is not my opinion — it is the teaching of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It is those who do not seek knowledge who fail to understand this”.
Expressing strong support for the group’s advocacy, Emir Sanusi described the initiative as timely, given the increasing prevalence of GBV in the region.
He also urged the revival and implementation of the Kano State Family Law draft, which he said addresses many of the state’s GBV-related challenges. According to him, Islamic legal texts already provide the necessary frameworks; they only need to be compiled and formalised for use.
Sharing findings from his doctoral thesis on the codification of Islamic family law, Sanusi noted that over a five-year period, he studied nine Sharia courts in Kano and observed a high incidence of GBV cases.
Underscoring his concern over rising cases of GBV, Emir Sanusi sent a strong warning to traditional leaders across the state, saying, “I have informed all my district and village heads that anyone found guilty of beating his wife risks losing his title.”