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The Coalition of Northern Youths and Civil Society Organisations has strongly condemned the move by former Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to establish an “independent” Hisbah agency for the 12,000 officers recently dismissed by the Kano state government.
The Presidents of the organisations, Comrade Abdulmumin Tijjani, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Comrade Isah Abubakar, Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, Malam Lukman Lawal, Rt. Honourable Speaker North Central Youths Assembly of Nigeria (NCYAN) and Comrade Usman Saidu, Northern Youths Assembly of Nigeria.
They all made the call during the World Press Conference, organised by the Coalition of Northern Youth and Civil Society Organisations.
“We described the move as an unconstitutional power grab capable of destabilising Kano state and warned that Ganduje’s intention to set up a parallel Hisbah structure poses a direct threat to the peace and constitutional order of Kano state.
“Ganduje, who served as 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,” they said.
The coalition cited Section 176(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which designates the sitting Governor as the Chief Executive Officer of a state.
“The only person who can lawfully exercise executive power in Kano state today is Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
“A former Governor has no constitutional authority to create or supervise any enforcement body,” the coalition stated.
They stressed that Ganduje is trying to establish independent hisbah in Kano, where there is already a recognised Hisbah Board, under the Kano State Hisbah Law of 2003, which vests the authority to appoint, regulate, and supervise Hisbah personnel in the 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 emphasised.
Warning against the dangers of Ganduje’s proposal, the coalition noted that establishing 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 stressed.
They said that critics have 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.
“The initiative “dresses as a political power play in religious clothing,” the coalition added.
They further 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.
They cautioned that allowing a privately funded religious enforcement structure to emerge would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the state’s constitutional monopoly on the use of force.
“The controversy surrounding Ganduje’s proposed “independent” Hisbah agency reflects broader national tensions between religious institutions and constitutional governance.
“While the former governor frames his initiative as a moral obligation, legal experts, youth groups, and civil society actors insist that the plan violates the Constitution, threatens public order, and risks politicising religious policing.
“As the matter gears toward legal contestation, we urged Kano residents and Nigerians at large to remain vigilant, expressing confidence that the rule of law will prevail over political ambition,” the coalition said.
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