The Kano State Government has banned a group operating as Independent Hisbah Fisabilillahi, declaring its activities illegal and a threat to public peace and security.
Governor Abba Yusuf signed an executive order on December 8 proscribing the group, citing intelligence reports that its operations breached existing laws governing religious enforcement bodies in the state. The government said the group was allegedly recruiting, training and mobilising youths without lawful authority, in violation of the Kano State Hisbah Board Law.
Speaking to journalists, the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, said the Kano State Hisbah Board is the only body legally authorised to coordinate Hisbah activities in the state. He warned that the emergence of any parallel organisation poses serious security risks.
According to Waiya, the executive order invalidates all activities of the group and prohibits impersonation of the Hisbah Board through the use of uniforms, symbols or assumed authority. He said the order formally declares the group’s operations unlawful and void.
The commissioner added that Governor Yusuf has instructed security agencies — including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) — to investigate those behind the group and take necessary legal action to prevent any breakdown of public order.
Residents were warned against supporting or associating with the banned organisation, as doing so would contravene state law. Those already recruited were urged to immediately disengage and report to the nearest security agency, Hisbah office or local government authority.
Waiya noted that the executive order also spells out penalties for offenders, including prosecution for unlawful assembly, impersonation and the creation of unauthorised security formations. The order takes immediate effect and will be gazetted by the state government.
The ban follows rising tension in the state over alleged plans to set up parallel religious policing structures. On November 28, the Kano State Government called for the arrest of former governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over comments it said could undermine security efforts.
Waiya said the state executive council discussed statements attributed to Ganduje and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who reportedly claimed Kano was vulnerable to banditry and announced plans to recruit 12,000 people into a proposed religious policing outfit known as Khairul Nas.
Civil society groups also raised concerns. The International Peace and Secure Society (IPSS) described reports of attempts to establish a Hisbah-style organisation outside government control as troubling and unacceptable.
Ganduje, however, denied the allegations, describing calls for his arrest as baseless and reckless. The former APC national chairman said he had no links to violence or any actions capable of destabilising Kano State, accusing the current administration of desperation and failure to secure lives and property.
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