Nigeria’s mass wedding – and how telling lovers from fraudsters is proving tricky

Celebrations have turned the northern Nigerian city of Kano into a riot of colour and excitement over the last week as 1,500 couples married at a mass wedding. For days the city’s streets have been buzzing with bridal parties and their families preparing outfits and attending other organised events. On Friday, brides in red hijabs with grooms in matching red hats and white robes went to the palace of the Emir, the city’s traditional Muslim leader, for the main ceremony where they officially became husband and wife.

The nuptials culminated on Saturday with a wedding breakfast hosted by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who offered his blessing to the newlyweds. The scheme targets low-income individuals who cannot afford the significant financial costs associated with marriage. The annual event was initiated in 2012 by the then-governor when 100 couples – primarily widows and divorcees – wed at the palace.

The mass weddings have continued under subsequent governors, with numbers expanding each year as demand has grown and included those in polygamous Muslim marriages. The event is always overseen by the Hisbah – the city’s Islamic police force – and one of their main tasks is to vet the couples wanting to wed.