Religious police in Nigeria's northern city of Kano on Tuesday publicly paraded scores of people arrested for flouting Islamic law, including transvestites and people wearing clothing deemed too tight or revealing.
They also publicly shaved off the supposedly overly long hair of several men.
Mohammed Yusuf Yola, spokesman for the board that polices implementation of Shariah law, told The Associated Press that 45 men and women were detained at a birthday party in a hotel Sunday because of "indecent dress that is against the practice of Islam."
He said the recent arrests of 150 people, including 55 alleged prostitutes, is part of a new campaign to enforce Islamic law, which officially governs nine of Nigeria's 37 states. All those arrested were Muslims, Yola said.
"Our agency will not relent in its efforts to ensure compliance of Shariah legal system; the agency will do its best to make sure that society is free from all social vices," he said. » | AP | Edited by Steve Wilson | Wednesday, October 23, 2013
