Abdullahi Ganduje,
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has issued an executive order prohibiting the operation and funding of a parallel Hisbah outfit allegedly backed by former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The governor also directed the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and prosecute any individual or group parading themselves as members or leaders of the unauthorised Hisbah body.
Briefing journalists on Friday evening, the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Abdullahi Ibrahim Waiya, said the directive is contained in a new legal instrument titled “Kano State Government (Prohibition of Independent Hisbah Fisabilillahi) Order, 2025,” which takes immediate effect.
According to the commissioner, the state government became aware of ongoing recruitment and mobilisation of youths into an entity described as Independent Hisbah Fisabilillahi without legal backing, a development he said poses a serious security risk.
He explained that the creation of such a group amounts to establishing an unauthorised enforcement structure that could undermine the statutory functions of the Kano State Hisbah Board and threaten public order.
“The recruitment, mobilisation, training, or deployment of persons into any parallel Hisbah or similar enforcement outfit in Kano State is hereby prohibited,” Waiya said.
The order further declares the formation and operation of Independent Hisbah Fisabilillahi unlawful, warning that any activity carried out in its name is illegal, null, and void.
The directive follows reports that Dr. Ganduje, through his foundation, initiated plans to recruit 12,000 members into an independent security outfit in Kano.
The recruitment was reportedly coordinated by a former Managing Director of the Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Baffa Dan Agundi, who said the initiative was intended to provide opportunities for individuals disengaged from the state’s Hisbah Board.
Dan Agundi had maintained that the proposed outfit was voluntary, non-political, and designed to render religious services under the Ganduje Foundation.
Governor Yusuf’s order warns that any person or group found violating the directive will face prosecution under relevant state laws, including offences related to unlawful assembly, impersonation of lawful authorities, and the establishment of unauthorised security or enforcement groups.
The Kano State Government reiterated its commitment to maintaining peace and ensuring that only legally constituted security and enforcement agencies operate within the state.
