Northern Nigeria Trends On Twitter As Users Fear Muslim North May Become Another Afghanistan

Many tweeps, including foreigners have likened the insecurity and situation in the Northern part of Nigeria to that of Afghanistan.

 Taliban fighters had on Sunday invaded Kabul, Afghan capital, after being ousted from power in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.

 The insurgent movement besieged the outskirts of Kabul, firing shots sporadically while citizens and foreigners were seen escaping the city.

In 2001, US-led forces removed the Talibans from power, but the group has returned, taking over the central government.

Given the insurgents’ treatment of women historically, there have been fears for their safety under the Taliban’s new regime.

 Under the Taliban, women and girls were denied a whole range of human rights, including the rights to education, health, free movement, and political and social participation, Amnesty International said in a November 2020 report. 

It added that since the Taliban regime ended in 2003, important strides have been made on women’s rights with 3.3 million girls now in education. 

 It aded that the strides could be eroded with the shift in power in the country as Afghan women have become lawyers, doctors, judges, teachers, engineers, athletes, activists, politicians, journalists, bureaucrats, business owners, police officers, and members of the military.

Most Nigerians on Twitter have expressed fear that what happened in the Asian country might happen in Northern Nigeria if the government refuses to act fast.

They claimed that Taliban’s ideology is already pervading and permeating deep into the region, adding that weapons seized by the group may soon find their way to Northern Nigeria.

Northern Nigeria has also been the epicentre of an insurgency war between military forces and Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. 

Also, despite condemnations from Nigerians, the Hisbah group, also known as Islamic police, has continued its push for the Islamic agenda in the North.

The agency, established to enforce Sharia law in some states in the region, recently banned stylish haircuts, sagging of trousers, playing of music at social events by disk jockeys and tricycle riders from adorning their vehicles with pictures considered to be obscene and against the tenents of Islam.

In Kano, they have asked that only headless mannequins must be used to advertise clothing. 

The Islamic police also want the headless mannequins covered at all times because to show "the shape of the breast, the shape of the bottom, is contrary to the teachings of Sharia [Islamic law]".

A barber and his customers were also arrested recently for giving and having haircuts that were considered by Hisbah as offensive to Islam.

They are also notorious for destroying truckloads of alcoholic drinks.

2. Boko Haram/ISWAP hoisting their flags in Borno State & Shiroro Niger State, so close to Abuja, massive ungoverned spaces in the North.

Nigerian military sympathetic to terrorists. Everything you see in Afghanistan now, is there in Nigeria. No doubt about this.

In March, Hisbah operatives arrested two men said to have sent pornographic materials to a married woman.

The suspects were traced and arrested after the woman complained to the board.