A coalition of legal practitioners under the banner of the National Forum of Kano Indigene Lawyers has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, over what they allege is a covert attempt to establish a parallel Hisbah corps in Kano State.
In the petition jointly signed by the forum’s National President, Malam Usman Imam Tudun Wazirci, and National Secretary, Rita Benedict, Esq., the lawyers described the move as a “dangerous and destabilizing initiative” capable of threatening peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in the state.
The petition, made available to journalists in Kano, accuses former Kano State Governor and immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, of spearheading a plan to recruit 12,000 youths into what they referred to as an “independent security outfit” patterned after the state-sanctioned Hisbah Board.
According to the forum, ongoing efforts to create a politically influenced Hisbah structure pose serious risks to Kano’s social order. Recent disturbances across parts of the state indicate deliberate attempts to orchestrate instability.
The lawyers warned that establishing any politically driven or privately controlled Hisbah could create confusion, undermine the statutory authority of the NNPP-led government, and escalate tensions.
They states that,
“The situation calls for a firm and transparent security response—not private or quasi-religious security bodies that could serve as cover for criminal or extremist activities.”
The forum also argued that such an initiative violates Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which places the responsibility for public security solely on the government, not on political foundations or private entities.
Their petition was a response to an attempt made in the recent launch of a mass recruitment drive for what Ganduje’s associates have termed an “Independent Hisbah Fisabilillah” under the Ganduje Foundation.
However, the lawyers warned that failure to act promptly could lead to a major regional security crisis.
