Lawyers petition Tinubu, NSA over Ganduje’s parallel Shariah police in Kano

The National Forum of Kano Indigene Lawyers has raised alarm over the recruitment of a parallel Hisbah police force by the former Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s foundation, describing it as a deliberate attempt to destabilize the state for political purposes.

In a petition signed by the forum’s National President, Malam Usman Imam Tudun Wazirichi, PhD, and National Secretary, Rita Benedict, Esq., and made available to newsmen, the lawyers called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to address the potential security risks posed by the creation of a private Hisbah group in Kano.

The petition alleges that Ganduje’s private Hisbah structure could threaten the delicate peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in the state, urging urgent intervention.

“We, the Executive Members of the National Forum of Kano Indigene Lawyers, call on behalf of ourselves and the wider peace-loving people of Kano to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the National Security Adviser, Abuja. Our concern is clear: there are ongoing efforts to destabilize the long-standing social order of Kano for political gains. Recent disturbances in parts of the state indicate deliberate attempts to manufacture insecurity,” the petition read.

It continued: “The situation calls for a firm and transparent security response, not the creation of private or quasi-religious security bodies that provide cover for criminal or extreme elements. Such structures threaten the delicate coexistence of Muslims and Christians in the state. Reports linking Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to plans for a parallel Hisbah-styled outfit raise serious alarm. Any such structure, driven by political motives, risks plunging the state into confusion and undermining the elected NNPP government.”

The lawyers further warned: “We urge the President to intervene without delay. The life of a single Nigerian, before God and under the constitution, carries more weight than any political ambition. Kano must not be allowed to drift toward the insecurity witnessed in Borno and Zamfara. If decisive measures are not taken, we will have no choice but to notify the United States, the United Nations, and the Commonwealth of the looming security threat in Nigeria’s most populous state, a situation that could trigger displacement across the region and beyond.”

The Ganduje Foundation had reportedly begun the recruitment of 12,000 members for the Independent Hisbah Fisabilillah group. According to Baffa DanAgundi, former Managing Director of the Kano Road Transport Agency (KAROTA), the initiative aims to create jobs for those displaced by the current government’s Hisbah Board. He insisted the program is voluntary and non-political, intended solely for religious services.

However, the lawyers cited Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), stressing that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,” and insisted that security is a public function, not a private enterprise, foundation project, or political legacy scheme. (Vanguard)