From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Hisbah Board arrested 16 individuals, comprising both men and women, during a Sunday evening raid on three hotels within the Sokoto metropolis.
The enforcement operation, led by the acting Commander, Imam Surajo Abubakar, targeted Pinnacle, Duniya, and Ifeoma Hotels.
According to the Board, the clampdown was executed under the state’s ongoing moral sanitization initiative, tagged “Operation Tsaftace Birnin Shehu” (Operation to Cleanse the City of Shehu).
This latest sweep follows a series of stringent directives recently introduced by the Hisbah Board aimed at regulating public conduct and commercial lodging during the Sallah festivities.
Under “Operation Tsaftace Birnin Shehu,” the Board has implemented several key restrictions ban on mixed gatherings – total ban was placed on Sallah celebrations at venues where men and women freely mix without strict adherence to Islamic guidelines.
Also, hotels and guest houses are strictly prohibited from allocating rooms to minors, the practice of offering “short-time” room services across hotels and lodging houses in the state has been suspended.
The Board reiterated that these measures are specifically designed to uphold moral discipline, protect Islamic values, and cleanse societal conduct during the festive period.
Hotel and relaxation center managers have been strongly warned to comply with the new directives or face severe legal and administrative consequences.
In a related development, the Board has commenced the evacuation of suspected commercial sex workers operating on the fringes of the state capital.
Several young women who were previously operating in Kwannawa, a well-known suburb on the outskirts of Sokoto city, have been apprehended and repatriated back to their respective states of origin, including Zamfara, Kano, and Katsina.
Confirming the development, the Director-General of the Sokoto State Hisbah Board, Alhaji Nura Attajiri, stated that the arrests and repatriations are part of an unyielding campaign to sanitize the state capital.
“These girls were apprehended during the ongoing operation to morally sanitize Sokoto city and its environs.
“We won’t relent or waver until we rid the city of all these obnoxious, antisocial, and anti-Islamic heinous activities,” he said.
The 16 suspects arrested during the Sunday hotel raids remain in custody pending further investigation and profiling by the state religious enforcement agency..
