Group condemns Kano parallel hisbah group

… calls for investigation into its funding, motives

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

A Coalition of Civil Rights Organisations under the auspices of Global Center for Conscious Living Against Corruption(GCCLAC), has condemned the emergence of a parallel Hisbah Group in Kano State.

According to the group, the parallel group with a name “Hisbah Independent Fisabilillahi” in Kano State, allegedly spearheaded by associates of former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, is not merely a political spat but a clear and present danger to Nigeria’s fragile security architecture and constitutional order.

GCCLAC submitted that allowing the emergence of a parallel Hisbah group under the guise of religious or humanitarian effort, especially with alleged deep political ties and significant, untraced funding, is equivalent to planting a seed of anarchy and future violence.

Addressing the media, the Convener of the group, Dr Nwambu Gabriel, said the establishment of a parallel, unregulated enforcement group is an act that directly challenges the State’s exclusive monopoly on the use of force.

The group, therefore, calls for immediate Disbandment. He said that the Kano State Government must issue a definitive public statement declaring the “Hisbah Independent Fisabilillahi” illegal, unlawful, and an enemy of the state’s security.

They wants a comprehensive security investigation. They maintained that Nigeria Police Force, DSS, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) must launch an urgent, comprehensive, and transparent investigation into:

Furthermore, they want to know the promoters and structure of the group as well as the sources, management, and accountability of its substantial funding and any Possible Links to political militias, arms proliferation, or international terror financing networks.

Moreover, the government must develop urgent socioeconomic intervention programmes to address the poverty and unemployment being exploited to recruit vulnerable youth into such dangerous formations.

Concluding, they maintained that the time for decisive action is now, before a private political experiment in Kano metamorphosed into a national security catastrophe.

“At a time when the nation is grappling with widespread banditry, insurgency, and the severe implications of being designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by the US on religious freedom grounds, the establishment of a parallel, unregulated enforcement group is an act that directly challenges the State’s exclusive monopoly on the use of force.

“Allowing this group to operate would set a dangerous precedent that empowers political actors to create private, armed, or quasi-security militias, fundamentally undermining the democratic structure and the rule of law.

“The Dangers of Allowing Parallel Enforcement Structures. The operational existence of a privately-funded and politically-linked enforcement group, distinct from the legally established Kano State Hisbah Board, presents four critical dangers:

“Direct Threat to Public Order and Sovereignty
The core function of a state is maintaining monopoly on legitimate coercion. The creation of a rival enforcement body invites anarchy by establishing multiple, competing centers of power and authority. This can lead to:

“Violent Clashes: Competition and rivalry between the legal Hisbah Commission and the parallel group could easily escalate into violent confrontations, placing innocent citizens at risk.

“Public Confusion: Citizens will be unable to distinguish between legitimate state authority and an unregulated private group, leading to widespread compliance issues, fear, and instability.

“Erosion of State Authority: It effectively creates a “state within a state,” enabling private individuals to exert policing powers without democratic accountability or legal oversight.

“High Risk of Unchecked Human Rights Abuses
Unregulated vigilante or enforcement groups are inherently prone to abuse. Lacking formal training, oversight mechanisms, and adherence to due process, members of the parallel Hisbah group would likely engage in:

“Arbitrary Arrests and Detentions: Actions based on personal vendettas or political directives rather than codified law.

“Intimidation and Extrajudicial Actions: Violations of citizens’ fundamental rights, including the right to fair hearing and personal liberty, without recourse to established justice channels.

“Politicisation and Instability
The clear political loyalty alleged to be driving this group turns a supposed religious initiative into a dangerous political weapon. This fuels inter-party tension, potentially using the 12,000-man structure to:

“Intimidate Political Opponents: Creating a private army disguised as a moral guard to suppress dissent or influence elections.

“Sabotage Governance: Disrupting the lawful activities of the current state government through parallel enforcement and misinformation.

“The Boko Haram Analogy: Escalation to Extremism
The historical trajectory of extremist groups in Nigeria is often rooted in the unchecked proliferation of unregulated, youth-based enforcement or ‘vigilante’ organizations. As the background document notes, groups like Boko Haram started with different names (such as “ecomog”). Allowing a large, politically-funded group of 12,000 disengaged youths to organise under a private religious banner creates a fertile ground for:

“Radicalisation: The lack of accountability and the political context can facilitate the injection of extremist ideologies.

“Militarisation: What starts as moral policing can quickly evolve into a fully-fledged private militia, capable of armed conflict.

“The Urgent Imperative to Investigate Funding and Motives. The most critical area of concern, demanding immediate and rigorous investigation by the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), is the financing of this alleged parallel force.

“Sources of Funding: A Public Interest Concern
The mobilisation and sustenance of a 12,000-personnel group requires significant and sustained financial resources. This is a grave public interest matter, raising questions of:

“Laundering and Diversion of Public Funds: Could the funds be derived from ill-gotten gains or diverted public resources, now being used to finance private political ambition?

“Illicit Sources: Is this financing linked to criminal enterprises, kidnapping for ransom, or other illicit activities that are fueling the nation’s insecurity?

“Possible Links to Terror Financing and Transnational Groups
In an era of intensified global efforts against Terror Financing (TF), security agencies must investigate potential links between the significant funds supporting this large, unregulated group and larger transnational terror networks.

“The FATF Framework: Nigeria, guided by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations, must scrutinise the flow of funds to non-profit, religious-sounding organisations to prevent their exploitation for terrorism or proliferation.

“The Nexus of Crime and Terror: The funds used to sustain such a large-scale, private group could provide a direct financial pipeline that can be easily diverted to procuring arms, facilitating arms proliferation, or funding militant activities—much like the complex financial networks that support terrorism across the Sahel region,” the group maintained.