According to AFP, the Sharia law enforcers called Hisbah, launched sweeping crackdowns in Kano since September, following a state government directive to cleanse the commercial state of "immoral" practices.
So, on Wednesday, a large bulldozer smashed the confiscated bottles to shouts of "Allahu Ahkbar" (God is great) from supporters outside the Hisbah headquarters in Kano.
Kegs containing more than 8,000 litres of a local alcoholic brew called burukutu and 320,000 cigarettes were also destroyed.
Kano's Hisbah chief, Aminu Daurawa, at the bottle-breaking ceremony, said he had the ardent hope this will bring an end to the consumption of such prohibited substances. We hope this measure will help restore the tarnished image of Kano," said Daurawa.
The 9,000-strong moral police force works alongside the civilian police but also has other duties, including community development work and dispute resolution.
Alcohol is typically easy to find in Kano, including at hotels and bars in neighbourhoods like Sabon Gari, inhabited by the city's sizeable Christian minority. But the Hisbah boss vowed that this was set to change.
"We hereby send warning to unrepentant offenders that Hisbah personnel will soon embark on an operation into every nook and cranny of the state to put an end to the sale and consumption of alcohol and all other intoxicants," Daurawa said.
