Habiba Garba

After a week during which we have been subjected to some of the most horrendous recitations of murderous violence against women here in the UK, it is desperately discouraging to read about this event in Kano.

A few days, a woman politician, Mrs Habiba Garba was ‘allegedly’ beaten black and blue and left to die by some beast, ‘dishonourable’ labaran abdu madari. This animal - a ‘politician’ from Kano - supposedly carried out this brutal attack in a police station (of all places) in front of many witnesses. The swine was been arrested, and is in custody.

Days after the attack, a Nigerian Newspaper (state owned) published a picture showing Mrs Garba's injuries. The picture is said to have shown part of her naked torso (I haven’t seen it yet). This in itself has led to an uproar. It appears that some mysterious and nameless women's rights group has complained to the Kano State Government about Mrs Garba’s rights been infringed by the publication. Apparently publishing nudity is forbidden under Sharia law because it violates rights to privacy! One wonders how you can show such injuries with your clothes on - A question for the rocket scientists out there.

Mrs Garba wants these pictures published. She wants to highlight the reality of violence against women in northern Nigeria, and I guess the rest of Nigeria. Violence against women is a big problem in Nigeria. It is a cowardly act, and an act that shouldn’t be condoned at all. I have written on this before.

Anyway, the ‘Mullahs’ in Kano, are putting pressure on the Editor of the newspaper to resign. They seem bent on hoodwinking people in the state into believing that this violation of Sharia laws (i.e. the nude picture) is of greater consequence than the aggression on Mrs Garba.