No Hisbah police in Kaduna – Governor

The governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai, says Hisbah, an Islamic religious police, does not exist in his domain.

This is in response to a report by an online news medium, Sahara Reporters, which claimed ladies and girls have been barred from using mobile phones and sun glasses in Chikun local government area of the state.

“Hisbah is punishing youths for keeping afro hair and sometimes it is accompanied with beating,” the news medium quoted a resident of the area as saying.

“They have also prevented women and girls from using smartphones, claiming that it is used to spread unIslamic behaviours. They are just terrorising us,” the source added.

Another resident who collaborated the above remark added that, “They also sometimes storm houses where ceremonies are taking place and punish playing of music, dancing and any form of entertainment.”

But in series of tweets Thursday, the office of the governor said no such thing exist in the state.

“There is no hisbah in Kaduna State. If there is criminal conduct anywhere, a responsible medium should report it accurately, not coat it in religion or use events and photos from other states to prop up a false story,” the tweet read.

“The Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTLEA) and the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVS) are the only KDSG agencies with direct law enforcement and community level security mandates. All other official agencies in the sector are federal,” it added.