Coalition of Northern youths and civil society organisations in Kano state has condemned the move to establish an independent Hisbah agency for the 12,000 officers recently dismissed by the Kano state government.

Speaking with journalists, presidents of the organisations, who include Comrade Abdulmumin Tijjani, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Comrade Isah Abubakar, Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, Mallam Lukman Lawal, Rt. Hon. Speaker, North Central Youths Assembly of Nigeria (NCYAN) and Comrade Usman Saidu, Northern Youths Assembly of Nigeria, said that a parallel Hisbah structure poses a direct threat to peace and constitutional order of Kano state.

“We described the move as an unconstitutional power struggle capable of destabilising Kano state”, the people said, adding that, “The only person who can lawfully exercise executive power in Kano state is Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf”.

The coalition recalled that former Kano state governor, Alhaji Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who served as Kano state governor from 2015 to 2023, recently announced plans to recruit the dismissed officers into a new independent Hisbah agency, to reinforce moral policing in Kano.

The coalition, which cited Section 176(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which designates the sitting governor as the Chief Executive Officer of a state, said that, “A former governor has no constitutional authority to create or supervise any enforcement body”.

They said that there is already a recognized Hisbah Board, under the Kano State Hisbah Law of 2003, which vests the authority to appoint, regulate, and supervise Hisbah personnel in the state Governor and the State House of Assembly.

“Any attempt to create a parallel structure is not only illegal but a direct violation of the democratic will of the people.

“The policing and internal security fall under the Exclusive Legislative List (Section 4 and Part I, Second Schedule of the Constitution).

“This gives only the federal government power to establish police or paramilitary agencies. While states may create religious or cultural bodies, such bodies must remain under state control,” the coalition said.

Warning against the dangers of the proposal, the coalition said that establishment of a privately coordinated body of 12,000 officers “bears the hallmarks of a private militia, prohibited under Section 227 of the Constitution”.

“Section 227 expressly forbids the maintenance of any private army, militia, or similar organisation.

“The scale and quasi-security roles envisioned for this agency clearly violate that provision,” the coalition said.

The people also described Ganduje’s move as a politically motivated attempt to undermine the administration of Governor Yusuf, who was elected in 2023 on a platform of reform and inclusivity.

“Creating a parallel Hisbah during the tenure of a political rival is an overt attempt to weaken the legitimacy of an elected government.”

They also warned that such actions could heighten political tension, erode the rule of law, and worsen existing security challenges in a region already battling banditry and insurgency. (TRIBUNE)