Residents of Katsina State have taken to social media to condemn the alleged brutalisation of a young woman, Asma?u, and two others by personnel of the state Hisbah Board.

The incident, which reportedly occurred on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at Scorpion Arena in the state capital, has sparked widespread outrage.

Hajiya Hauwa?u Majida Muhammad, mother of the victim, said her daughter and two relatives were beaten, defamed and left injured after Hisbah officers accused them of indecent dressing and violating state moral codes.

Speaking to PUNCH Online, Hauwa?u narrated how her daughter had attended a colour-themed funfair to sell snacks when chaos broke out as Hisbah officers attempted to disrupt the event.

She said, ?She called me to say that the Hisbah people were there disrupting the peace, and they were exchanging stones with the people because people were stoning them and they were returning it to the people and that they were inside the arena though it was locked up while I told them to stay there until everything calmed down.

?When the whole thing calmed down, I got her call that she was by the car but couldn?t find her brothers, whose key was with and she had been calling none, but some people told her that Hisbah might have taken her brothers because they saw them taking people.?

She added, ?When I offered to come see them she said no because there was a family friend who also bought from them during the event while he also told me on the phone that he will help in the search or probably, they ran because people too ran and they will get back to me. I stay home.

?After a while, I called, but she didn?t pick up and I decided to call two of her cousins who helped her do the sale. The moment she picked up, I just heard her crying when I inquired what was happening, her response was, see them beating us, mummy?.

?I asked how many they were, she said three of them, Hauwa?u, Asma?u and Zainab. That is when she narrated what happened, even the family friend who was with them was harassed and he is a law enforcement officer too.

?He was there at the instance of searching for two of my sons who initially were missing at the event venue, as said earlier. That officer friend told them to stay outside and wait for them while he goes inside Hisbah office to search for my sons.?

According to her, the three girls, Asma?u, Hauwa?u and Zainab, were verbally assaulted and beaten by Hisbah officers who accused them of defying the Shari?a-based moral code.

Asma?u was allegedly dragged into a room, flogged with koboko (whips), and handed over to two female inmates who beat her and threatened to cut off her hair.

?When they were standing outside the Hisbah office, one of the Hisbah members saw my daughter and started assaulting her in Hausa saying ??shigiya karwa? meaning ?stupid, prostitute?.

?And other offensive abuse on her, and she responded that please, don?t include my mother in your abusive words because my mother didn?t do anything to you. But he continues. And in heated exchanging words, one of them came behind and slapped her. Apparently, he is the Hisbah official in charge of operations,? she added.

The family has since spent over N100,000 on medical treatment and is calling on Governor Dikko Radda to investigate the actions of the Hisbah board and clear his name from the officers? claims that they acted on his orders.

She stated, ?They will tell you that ?Governor Radda told us to do so?. They told my children, too, that the Governor ordered them to do so. Because for a man to brutalise a woman to that extent and be boasting around that Dikko Radda ya sa mun muyi wana aiki. Ko yar shi ci, da zamu yi mata haka (Dikko Radda told us to do this and even his daughter, they will certainly do the same to her).

?We then tried to find out what her offence was, and they said that they cut her with indecent dressing, which is a lie because she took herself there. Then, they said they caught her with contraband. I want to see what the contraband is. This is somebody who took herself there, and now they are saying they caught her.?

Asma?u, who confirmed the details to PUNCH Online, said: ?My mother has said it all. I only want justice to be served because I?m not the only victim, just that mine was so brutal.?

Reacting to the allegations, Hisbah?s head of operations, Muhammad Sha?ibu, denied knowledge of any brutality but admitted that the girl was detained after allegedly slapping one of the officers.

?On that day, my boys went out for an operation and they reached Scorpion Arene purposely to confiscate the DJ set and bring it to our office. This is due to a ban on DJ (Direct Sound) in Katsina State?s Hisbah law. As you know, Hisbah is created by the law in Katsina State to check indecent dressing and other social vices. On getting there, there were hoodlums in the Arena and they started stoning my team.?

He said Asma?u slapped one of their officers, Nafiu, and was then dragged to the cell.

?All the stories of being beaten mercilessly, we did not know about that. I asked my men, maybe during the struggle, they dragged her inside the cell, which was a result of her fracture in the leg. I got to know this later on social media that Hisbah beat up a girl, and they didn?t bother to ask for our side of the story. That is why we are now thanking The Punch for its balancing reportage by hearing our side of the story in this issue.

?The Punch contacted us. Apart from the Punch, we have been hearing from different angles that Hisbah mercilessly beat one girl, Asma?u by name. This is our side of the story from the Katsina State Hisbah Board. Thank you,? he said.

He also denied that inmates were instructed to beat or threaten her.

Hisbah Commandant, Dr. Muhammad Aminu Usman, declined to comment further, saying Sha?ibu was in a better position to explain the incident.

Meanwhile, the Katsina State chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists has condemned the alleged assault on Asma?u and demanded immediate justice for the victims.

The condemnation was contained in a statement by the Chairperson of the NAWOJ, Hajiya Hannatu Mohammed and issued to newsmen on Saturday in Katsina.

The statement read, ?The assault, which was done at the Hisbah Headquarters, shows members of the Hisbah Board physically assaulting the lady in public.

?This kind of violence against women is unacceptable and should not be tolerated in any society.

?We are calling on the government to thoroughly investigate this incident and ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.

?As advocates for gender equality and the rights of women, we stand in solidarity with the victims and all women who have been victims of such violence. We demand justice for the lady and urge the government to take swift action to address this issue and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

?We urge the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that the victim receives the support and protection she needs. We also call on the government to strengthen efforts to combat gender-based violence and to promote a culture of respect and equality for all members of society.?

Also, Katsina State Commissioner of Ministry of Women Affairs, Hadiza Abubakar Yar?adua, in a statement on Sunday said the ministry has received with deep concern and sorrow a disturbing report circulating on social media, which includes video testimony of a woman alleging brutal and inhumane treatment at the hands of individuals purportedly affiliated with the Hisbah Board.

?As a Ministry entrusted with the protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of women and girls in Katsina State, we categorically condemn all forms of violence against women, especially those perpetrated under the guise of morality or authority. No woman or indeed any human being deserves to be subjected to the level of brutality alleged in this incident. This is a clear case of gender-based violence (GBV), and as such, it must be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

?We are actively investigating this matter and will gather a detailed report.? (The PUNCH)

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