A 26-year-old Nigerian man named Aliyu Na Idris was arrested by the Islamic police known as Hisbah for trying to sell himself for 20 million naira ($49,000).
It was gathered that the man who works as a tailor, was seen in October walking through the city of Karo with a cardboard sign that read “this man is for sale, 20,000,000N”.
When he was interrogated, the man told news reporters that he had first tried to sell himself in the city of Kaduna, but couldn’t find a purchaser, so he moved to Karo.
According to him, he had resorted to selling himself because of what he called poverty.
He claimed that he planned to give most of the money to his parents and keep the rest for daily expenses.
In his words;
“The decision to sell myself was due to poverty.
“I plan to give my parents 10 million naira when I eventually get a buyer, pay five million naira as tax to the government, give two million naira to anyone who helped me get a buyer, and keep the remaining for daily upkeep.”
Though it’s unclear what selling himself actually means , but the man said he had found a few interested parties. It didn’t work out since they didn’t agree to his requested 20-million-nara fee.
After the news of his intentions went viral on social media, the man was picked up by a Hisbah brigade for breaking the rules of Islam.
Addressing his arrest, Hisbah Commander, Harun Ibn Sina, told the BBC;
“Yes we arrested him on Tuesday and he spent the night with us.
What he did is forbidden in Islam, you can’t try to sell yourself no matter your condition or situation.”
Following his arrest, many people calling for his release, claiming that his arrest was unnecessary.
According to them, counselling the man would have been much more appropriate.
The young man was later released the day after he was arrested.
He told local reporters that he was not mistreated in any way by the Hisbah, and that the Islamic police only preached the word of God and gave him advice.
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