Murja Kunya: From obscurity to stardom

Prominent Kano Tik Toker Murja Ibrahim Kunya means different things to different people. For some, especially the youths, she represents enterprising and creative youths in the social media space. But, to the Kano State Hisbah Board, Murja is the alleged chief promoter of immoral acts through her vulgar and reckless language. To the political class, her loyal one million followers mean a reservoir of enormous electoral value. Observers believe that one thing that cannot be taken away from her is the ability to capture thousands of admirers through her videos on Tik Tok and other platforms.

Who is Murja Kunya?

She was born to Malam Ibrahim Kunya and Hindatu, who raised her in Kunya village of Minjibir Local Government Area of Kano State.

Even though she has never disclosed her age, many believed that she is between 27 and 28. 

It was reliably gathered that she had no history of attending any conventional school, but Murja was a student at the Fodiyya Islamiyya School in Kunya, established by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in the 1990s.

Sources said she did not graduate from the school, as she was married off to a policeman and moved to Minjibir town, headquarters of Minjibir Local Government Area to live with her husband.

“Murja did not stay long with the police husband who divorced her, paving the way for her return to Kunya and subsequently remarried,” a source close to the social media sensation told Daily Trust Saturday.

The source said her second marriage took her to Gandurwawa village, also in Minjibir LGA.

“Sadly, the second marriage did not work as she was again divorced by the second husband,” two other sources said.

They said after the marriages failed, she relocated to Kano City to live with a relative at Hotoro quarters in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.

It was also speculated that Murja had a child from one of the marriages; however, she tried hard not to comment on the issue even when it was raised before her.

Sources in Kunya community revealed that Murja came from a poor background, she lived a life full of ups and downs for many years, and poverty was not just a story but a reality of her life history.

A new lease

Daily Trust Saturday gathered that Murja started her engagement on social media as a hobby and later explored the sector more as a profession from which she earns a livelihood.

Gradually, Murja became a household name on social media especially Tik Tok with the account name of Yagayagamen.

Murja had tried her luck in Kannywood but was not very successful, and so decided to stick to Tik Tok where she garnered fame from sharing her videos.

She gradually became prominent, especially with the Hausa speaking social media community. Her Tik Tok account followers became grew so much that she became a strong competitor to prominent artists.

With over 1.8 million followers, Murja seems to be the Hausa female Tik Toker with the highest followers.

Altercation with Hisbah

The Kano State Hisbah Board led by its Commander General, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, invited Murja Kunya for a talk in November 2023. This was after series of complaints from some residents of Kano and environs that she was adulterating the youths.

Daurawa, therefore, counselled her against posting videos on social media viewed as promoting immoral acts and influencing younger ones negatively.

She promised to change but allegedly failed, as evident in the way she kept on coming with more videos and at the same time gaining more followers and stardom.

Hisbah, angered by the development, once again accused her of corrupting and recruiting young girls into prostitution, sharing explicit material, and violating Sharia law norms on social media.

Murja was subsequently arrested, leading to a week-long remand until February 20, 2024.

Surprisingly, she was released two days earlier on court orders, sparking mixed public reactions.

Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf came under fire when he publicly criticised Hisbah’s war against immorality known as ‘Operation Kau da badala’.

Some people insinuated that the government actually engineered her initial release from detention, a claim denied by some people close to the authorities.

Murja is a known supporter of NNPP’s Abba Kabir and his government.

Following public criticism of his modus operandi, Sheikh Daurawa announced his resignation on Friday, March 1, but quick intervention from prominent clerics persuaded him to return to his duty post on Tuesday, March 5.

In September 2022, a Sharia court in Kano had written the commissioner of police to arrest and investigate Murja and other Tik Tokers over complaints it received from a group of Islamic clerics for what they called “corrupting the morals of the society.”

Other Tik Tokers accused by the clerics were Mr 442, Safara’u, Dan Maraya, Kawu Dan Sarki, Ado Gwanja, Ummi Shakira and Samha Inuwa.

Not new to controversy

Murja’s conviction by a court in Kano which ordered her to sweep hospital premises during the Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s APC-led administration, made her to align and identify with the then opposition NNPP, and contributed immensely to NNPP’s victory in the 2023 elections.

On Monday, March 25, Justice Nasiru Saminu of the Kano State High Court, granted Murja bail, restraining her from making further comments on social media pending final determination of the suit she filed.

Murja had approached the court asking it to quash criminal proceedings Hisbah instituted against her at the Upper Sharia Court, Kwana Hudu.