The Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II has threatened to remove any traditional title holder under the emirate council who beats his wife.

The ex-Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor issued the warning during the opening of the 2024 National Dialogue on the role of Islamic Opinion Leaders in the prevention of Gender based violence in Northern Nigeria at Bayero University Kano (BUK).

Sanusi called for an urgent review of Section 55 of the Penal Code Law of Nigeria, which permits husbands to correct their wives due to the gross abuse of this provision in the North. The section, as outlined in the Penal Code Law, allows a husband to “correct” his wife if it is within the bounds of lawful customs and does not cause “grievous hurt”.

The former CBN Governor cited a documented case study conducted across nine Shari’a courts in Kano, revealing 45 percent of GBV out of the total cases being handled at the courts.

According to him, the research also indicated several instances where wives, as result of violence abuse, suffered broken teeth and damaged jaws while many left with thorough beating in the hands of their husbands.

The traditional ruler also cited several provisions of Islamic jurisprudence that prohibited violence against women, saying government must criminalised any act of maltreatment against woman in a marriage.