Thousands of bottles of beer were destroyed in Nigeria on Wednesday. As part of a crackdown on immoral behavior under Islamic law, police in the Nigerian city of Kano got rid of about 240,000 bottles of booze.
The bottles of beer were taken off of truck that came into the city in recent weeks. The Hisbah, the group that enforces sharia law had to destroy the alcohol.
According to AFP, Kano's Hisbah chief Aminu Daurawa hopes that the bottle breaking "will bring an end to the consumption of such prohibited substances."
A bulldozer was used to smash the bottles as supporters shouted "Allahu Ahkbar" (God is Great). The ceremony was held outside of the Hisbah headquarters in Kano, which is the largest Muslim city in Nigeria.
In addition to the bottles, kegs with more than 8,000 liters of a local alcohol called "burukutu" and 320,000 cigarettes were destroyed.
"We hope this measure will help restore the tarnished image of Kano," Daurawa told AFP.
The Hisbah started a crackdown on immoral behavior starting in September. Hundreds of arrests have been made in Kano. The arrests included prostitutes, homosexuals, drunks and drug addicts. This comes after a state-government directive to clean the city of immoral behavior.
The moral police force is composed of 9,000 people who work alongside civilian police. They also do community development and resolve disputes.
Sharia was brought back into northern Nigeria in 2001. Nigeria has a mostly Christian south and a Muslim north.
Alcohol isn't hard to find as it is available in hotels and bars but Hisbah officials say this won't last long.
"We hereby send warning to unrepentant offenders that Hisbah personnel will soon embark on an operation into every nook and corner of (Kano) state to put an end to the sale and consumption of alcohol and all other intoxicants," Daurawa said.
People accused of engaging in prostitution and homosexual sex have been among those arrested in the latest crackdown, along with alleged drunks and drug addicts.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
