The Kano State Hisbah Board has insisted that mannequins used in tailors’ shops and boutiques across the state will remain banned based on idolatry claims.

The Commander-General of the board, Harun Ibn Sina, who announced the ban in the state, said the use of mannequins contravened the provision of Islamic injunctions.

However, an exception has been made for mannequins displayed without their heads.

Mr Ibn Sina allowed for this exception in a press statement after a meeting with the Kano state chapter of the National Association of Tailors.

“The Kano State Hisbah Board, in accordance with the Act that established it in 2001 (as amended in 2003), has banned the use of any mannequin that resembles human body, male or female,” the statement read.

“However, tailors can use mannequins without heads on them, that one is allowed. This is part of the major issues we discussed with the tailors during our meeting with them,” the statement added.

The religious police also warned that it would start raiding such places to remove them, describing the use of the mannequins for advert purposes as idolatry.

In June 2021, the Hisbah announced a ban on the use of mannequins to display clothes by tailors, supermarkets and boutique owners in the state. 

The group asserted that it violated Islamic provisions and was responsible for immoral thoughts among some members of the public.

At the time, Mr Ibn Sina had said that the agency would embark on sensitisation of the people to educate them on how Islam frowns on the use of the mannequins, while the agency will send its officials to apprehend and prosecute offenders.