Kano Marries 1,500 Couples in State-Sponsored Mass Wedding

The Kano State Government in northern Nigeria married 1,500 couples in a state-sponsored mass wedding on Friday, August 7, 2026, as part of a social welfare initiative to support vulnerable residents facing financial barriers to marriage. The ceremony, the second organized under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's administration, was held at the Central Mosque of the Emir's Palace in Kano and simultaneously across the state's 44 local government areas.

Among the beneficiaries was Haruna Bashir, a man who lost his wife and six children in a violent attack at their home in the Dorayi Chiranchi area of Kano in January 2026. The governor stood as the guardian for Bashir, who married Rahinatu Rasheed Yunusa. The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, represented the brides during the symbolic ceremony. The governor's administration had previously provided Bashir with a welfare package that included sponsorship for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages and a new house in Amana City, Kano, to help him rebuild his life after the tragedy.

The mass wedding was coordinated by the Kano State Hisbah Board. Its Commander-General, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, stated that all couples underwent screening and...