'Bachelor catcher' roams Nigeria

A nightly carnival where bachelors are ridiculed into getting married is under way in northern Nigeria.

Until 1 October, Kano's "Bachelor catcher" and his band of musicians will roam the streets, parading a bachelor they have caught in a noose.



The carnival is part of the celebrations of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, where people fast during the daylight hours.

These days the bachelor is a symbolic one, chosen for the event. But in the past the troop of drummers known as "Nalako" used to roam the streets looking for men they thought should do the decent thing and marry.