‘It’s a call for anarchy’ — CSO rejects ‘Ganduje’s parallel Hisbah plan’ in Kano

The International Peace and Secure Society (IPSS), a civil society organisation (CSO), has raised concern over reports suggesting attempts to establish a parallel religious policing outfit in Kano.

Recently, the Kano government accused Abdullahi Ganduje, former governor, of making provocative statements on the vulnerability of the state to banditry.

Ibrahim Wayya, the Kano commissioner for information and internal affairs, who spoke at the end of the state executive council meeting last week, said suspected bandits infiltrated border communities less than 48 hours after the comments attributed to the former governor.

“The council deliberated extensively over the recent inflammatory statements made by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who alleged that the state is vulnerable to banditry and further announced plans to recruit 12,000 individuals under a proposed religious police outfit named Khairul Nas,” the commissioner said.

Wayya also urged security agencies to investigate and arrest Ganduje over what he described as an attempt to float an illegal militia group.

Ganduje dismissed the call as “baseless” and “reckless”, insisting he has never been associated with violence nor linked to acts capable of destabilising Kano.

‘DANGEROUSLY SHORTSIGHTED’

However, in a statement on Saturday, Yahaya Yusuf, director-general of IPSS, said the claims that Ganduje is linked to attempts to set up a Hisbah-styled body outside state control are “troubling and unacceptable”.

Yusuf said the notion of a religious enforcement group run by a private actor is “a call for anarchy”.

“Kano is a historically peaceful but complex state where harmony is cherished and must be protected with utmost responsibility,” the statement reads.

“At a time when Nigeria is battling widespread insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, violent extremism, and social tension, the idea of creating a parallel Hisbah-like enforcement group outside the authority of the state government is not only unlawful but dangerously shortsighted.”

He said the suggestion that disengaged personnel from a previous administration could be reorganised under a private Hisbah framework raises “multiple red flags”.

“Kano already has an established Hisbah Board recognised by law. Two Hisbah bodies in one state is not coordination — it is a recipe for conflict,” he said.

Yusuf stressed that security and enforcement powers are vested in the federal government and implemented at the state level through the governor, adding that private control of security structures is “dangerous” and often ends “in escalation and instability”.

The IPSS DG warned that a privately sponsored Hisbah outfit could heighten insecurity through unauthorised mobilisation, create divided loyalties, fuel fear among residents, and trigger clashes with existing security institutions.

“This is how societies slip into crisis — quietly at first, then suddenly,” he added.

Yusuf said any effort to support dismissed Hisbah personnel should focus on lawful empowerment, such as employment, vocational training, and reintegration programmes.

“Turning them into a private force is not empowerment; it is provocation,” he said.

He called for immediate security coordination to investigate any mobilisation efforts linked to an unauthorised policing outfit.

He also urged the police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other agencies to monitor and disrupt any unconstitutional security initiative in the state.

The IPSS DG appealed to community leaders, political actors, and residents to refrain from rhetoric or actions that undermine lawful security structures.

“Kano is too precious, too fragile, and too important to be exposed to dangerous experiments in security,” Yusuf said.

“The state must choose stability over sentiment and reject any attempt, direct or indirect, to establish a private Hisbah force.”