Blasphemy: Young Benue barber detained in Kano giving customers ‘unislamic hair cuts’ narrates initial arrest, shares photos of haircut

AKano-based young barber from Benue State, Elijah Ode, who was detained by Hisbah corps for allegedly giving his customers haircuts which ‘offend’ the Islamic faith in the Sabon Gari area of the state, has shared pictures of the alleged offending haircuts via his Twitter page.

The barber, who is also a student, was first arrested on January 15, 2021 and rearrested last Wednesday, January 27 after two of his customers were caught with hairstyles deemed blasphemous to the Islamic religion.

Checks by IDOMA VOICE showed he had taken to his Twitter handle @ode_elijah on January 26, before he was rearrested, to talk about the issue.

He tweeted, “My name is Elijah, I’m a barber based in Kano. I was arrested by Metro Area police command authority, Bank Road, Kano on 15th January, 2021.

Reasons for the arrest goes thus: According to the police officers that showed up in my shop that day, in response to the allegation made against me by some members of the Islamic group in Kano, they said that they received a report that I gave two of my clients a haircut style with a design of an image which was said to have some similarities with something in Islamic religious group.

“However, they eventually arrested me, took some of my barbing tools. They also arrested the two of my clients who had the hairstyle on their heads. We were being detained till in the evening on Friday.

“Friday, 15th till Saturday night, 16th.

We were being charged approximately N27,000 plus for the alleged offence. My shop was shut down for 4 days and it took 4 days as well for me to be able to get my tools back. Attached is the haircut design which they allegedly claimed is an Islamic inscription.”

According to a Benue State activist, Smith Akoko, who first brought the matter to the attention of Nigerians, the barber was rearrested last Wednesday.