Nigeria’s partygoers defy the morality police to find escape in nightclubs

SOKOTO, Nigeria (AP) — Multicolored strobe lights sweep across a dance floor soon to throng with sweaty revelers and shrilling voices singing along to Afrobeats in a nightclub that is thriving despite being in one of northern Nigeria’s most deeply conservative states.

As the DJ prepared his set and attendants arranged bottles of expensive liquor on tables, Vincent Tabat joined those streaming into the venue, which is one of a handful along a street in Sokoto state.

It was an ironic scene given that the conservative Sokoto is known as the “seat of the caliphate” for its storied place in the birth and propagation of Islam in West and Central Africa. Despite its reputation, there is a thriving nightlife alongside strict religious codes, a morality police, and security challenges fueled by attacks by jihadi groups.

“This is nearly 2 a.m., and as you can see, everyone is outside to have fun,” Tabat told The Associated Press. Tabat was fired up by the booming music all night, dancing with female companions as he portioned out drinks into emptying cups on the table.

Partygoers shun regulated daily life

At the center of northern Nigeria’s strict religious code is the local Islamic police, known as the Hisbah force, whose personnel are tasked with upholding public morals across some of the region’s 19 states.

They often patrol cities and raid key spots to enforce Shariah and local laws, such as dress codes, haircuts and alcohol bans, with seized bottles often destroyed. Partygoers, however, say they are not deterred.

For frequent reveler Benjamin Danjuma, weekend outings are nearly sacrosanct. The few clubs and bars in Sokoto city are his haunts, and the scene for him is no different from those in the more liberal southern Nigeria.

“We are living our life more than anybody’s expectation in this state,” he said. “There is so much groove going on. We are not left behind.”

Gone are the days when nightlife and partying were considered taboo in conservative Nigerian society, as people have been partying for a long time, said Oluwamayowa Idowu, founder of Culture Custodian, a leading culture publication based in Lagos.

Amid the security crisis and its fallout of economic hardship in the region, nightlife offers people an escape from the tough realities, said Idowu. “The north has been ravaged by insecurity, but people still live there, and people still participate in life there daily,” he said.

Social division runs along religious lines

Both Tabat and Danjuma said they are not bound by Hisbah’s rules as non-Muslims, but they acknowledged that there have been run-ins with the group.

This represents the dynamics of Nigeria’s religious composition in one of the few places in the world where the population is almost evenly split between Christians, who live predominantly in the south, and Muslims, mostly in the north.

For decades, non-Muslims have been caught up in Hisbah’s enforcement, which the force says is to promote morality.

Following the return of Nigeria to democracy in 1999, several states in the northern region advocated for Shariah, revealing the fault lines of Nigeria’s federalism and status as a secular state. The matter was not resolved at the Supreme Court, leaving it as an open-ended legal question to date, and subsequent governments have not sought legal means to resolve it.

Hisbah is often accused of extreme policies and abuses

In many northern states, the laws being applied in Islamic courts are enforced by Hisbah. The group was disbanded in Sokoto in 2017, in part due to public complaints about alleged high-handed practices, before being reestablished in 2024.

The morality police, which are often accused of extreme policies, recently announced a statewide ban in Sokoto on the use of DJs at events, as well as inappropriate haircuts, extravagant bridal gifts and playing music on public transport.

Hisbah members also face widespread allegations of rights abuses in their enforcement operations, including subjecting offenders to dehumanizing punishments such as public beatings or shaming.

Fu’ad Lawal, executive director at Archivi.ng, a Lagos-based digital historical database, said the force altered the meaning of Nigeria’s federalism and its secular nature.

“When it (Shariah) became a law, it basically extended (beyond) criminal law and, perhaps more consequential, led to the regulation of public life,” said Lawal.

The morality police say they only seek to ensure “peace and stability through moral justice” and are not “enforcing Sharia law per se.”

“Every citizen needs to fulfill his or her moral obligation,” Usman Abdullahi Jatau, commander of the Sokoto State Hisbah, told the AP.

Delicate balance sought between religion and nightlife

The nightclub where Tabat was partying has posted a list of banned items, including veils, and it turns away women wearing them.

Almost everywhere else in the city, women would need one — except at this venue, which tries to not upset the precarious balance of the religion-nightlife cohabitation.

The strict social codes can eventually wear on a society battling yearslong jihadi and rebel violence, analysts say.

Ibrahim Nuhu, a banker who was transferred from the more cosmopolitan Plateau state to Sokoto, has seen the city evolve in recent years from a drab scene to a lively experience on weekends. At first, he was worried about leaving his more cosmopolitan life behind, but admits he has grown enamored of the growing nightlife in Sokoto.

“People see Sokoto from outside; I see it from the inside,” he said.