admin
KANO. – Islamic religious police in northern Nigeria arrested a man who put himself up for sale to escape biting poverty, a local official said on Wednesday.
Aliyu Idris, 26, was arrested on Tuesday by the morality police in Kano after pictures emerged on social media showing him holding a placard indicating he was up for auction at 20 million naira (US$49 000).
“We arrested him for putting himself up for sale, which is illegal under Islamic law,” said Lawal Ibrahim Fagge, a spokesman for the religious police called Hisbah.
“He is in our custody,” said Fagge, blaming the young man’s “abhorrent action” on poverty and ignorance.
Last week Idris, a tailor from neighbouring Kaduna, went around the city last week with the placard inscribed with the sale offer. Residents posted pictures of him online, turning him into a sensation.
The young man told reporters he was “selling” himself out of “excruciating poverty” and that he intended to give half the money to his parents and two million naira to anyone who could facilitate the auction. He had also promised to be a “loyal servant” to his buyer. – AFP
Online Reporter