Hisbah And Its Traducers

By

Hassan S. Indabawa

indabawa 20022000@yahoo.com

Kano, Nigeria.

Hisbah is on no account a terrorist group. Hisbah is a million poles away from terrorism and people suggesting anything to the contrary are makers of mischief and enemies of peace. They should be ignored.

Former governor of Kano State and Chief antagonist of the Kano State Government, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Claimed at a press Conference early last month that Hisbah is a terrorist Organization. In his view, money spent to run the Hisbah Board should be used to do other “important” things.

As a Minister of defence in the present political order of which he has been a major beneficiary, Kwankwaso should know better than belittle the no mean importance of security anywhere in Nigeria, indeed anywhere in the world. It is a wonder how mischievously Kwankwaso has misconceived the Hisbah concept - the possible answer to the exigencies of a socio-political environment he should know so well - having left the scene as chief security officer only two years ago. More so that Kano State has prior to the present order, earned an infamous reputation of a Community notorious for violence and disorderliness. Thanks to the despotic disposition of the much maligned Kwankwaso regime.

The Kano State Government under Malam Ibrahim Shekarau formally inaugurated the Kano State Hisbah guards on July 3, 2005 with a mandate, in one sentence, to complement regular security outfit in effort to maintain law and order in Kano State.

Expected to achieve much in the noble role of proactively moving to stop possible unrest and helping to douse any that may start, uniformed Hisbah corps operates in each of the 44 Local Council Areas of the State under a centralized Command structure with head quarters at Sharada in the metropolis of Kano.

For an idea of how the Hisbah Corps operate, this is the patrol order as handed in writing to the corps at the July 3 inauguration: “ The patrol supplements the efforts of the other constituted authorities (the Police and other security agents), the patrol shall be carried out 24 hours a day with emphasis on night duty since the targeted crimes are mostly perpetrated in the night, the assigned Hisbah teams shall regularly book with the Police in their respective areas, they shall consistently acquaint the Police   with the patrol activities and request for formal  reinforcement where and when necessary”.

Viewed against the fact that Nigeria is grossly under Policed, it sounds curious when criticism of Hisbah comes from those who should know that the Police and other law enforcement agencies need as much help from other sources as they could get.

And considering much the weakness of the Federal authorities from checkmating the menace of some actually terrorist groups, one really wonders why Kwankwaso choose to target Hisbah alone without any visible attempt to explain to Nigerians on why his Government, in which he pretends to be a major player, failed to tackle the likes of OPC, MASSOB, Niger – Delta Volunteer Force and the Bakassi Boys.

Odu’a People Congress (OPC) is best remembered for its infamous bravado in which the deranged group matched to Ilorin with a crazy idea of forcibly “dethroning” the Emir to replace him with a Yoruba Oba. This and other premeditated violence ostensibly made the U.S and its Western allies to brandish the rag-tag militia as a terrorist group.

Just recently, MASSOB, the South-East Biafran Secessionist group, served a notice that it would soon appoint administrators to take over from the elected Governors of Igbo States. However, Kwankwaso seems to lose sleep since the inauguration of the Hisbah Corps, whom by the law that established them, were not allowed to carry even a baton.

And what is this about the Hisbah being more armed than the Police? Is this so? The question really does not even arise. Hisbah is not competing for arms superiority with the police or any other agency of the Federal Government. Much has been said even in this piece so far on how much of help that Hisbah corps intends to be to other authorities of government.

The Hisbah Board came to be especially upon efforts being made by people of goodwill across the country to give the Islamic Legal instrument, the Shariah, some more vibrancy so as to checkmate a growing decay in society as masterminded by Godless elements who seemed bent on legalizing illegalities. In short, Hisbah is a watchdog of the Shariah.

Areas to be covered for effective security round the state as indicated in the operational order establishing the Hisbah Board, includes suspected dens of criminals and centers of social vices, for example: brothels, drinking parlous, and all areas linked with any form of evil and crime, the intention being to curtail armed robberies, petty thefts and burglaries, financial and economic crimes, rape, drug abuse, name them.

A fact that must be registered is that Hisbah owes its existence to the Government of its greatest critic today, Rabiu Kwankwaso. But the Hisbah Committee Kwankwaso established never really found its feet because of internal wrangling, possibly resulting from half-hearted implementation of the letters of the Committee by the Government of that time.

Upon arrival of Governor Ibrahim Shekarau in 2003, however, people who knew what lukewarm attitude characterized the operations of Hisbah saw Shekarau as the answer and made the fact known to him.

While inaugurating the Hisbah men and women guards that Sunday morning July 3, 2005 at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Governor Shekarau said the Hisbah corps project is in line with his resolve to energize the implementation of full Shariah legal system in Kano State.

This is the way Shekarau introduced members of the Hisbah Board: “ Hisbah should not be mistaken to mean state police. They are only a group of people who are mandated to guide people to do the right things, steer people from bad habits and facilitate efforts at providing a decent, just and socially responsible society; people with the fear of God, respecter of all that is honest, just and patriotic, such that we can attain a society that will be the pride of all”.

The inauguration of the Hisbah command, the Governor said, would have come earlier except for the need the government felt of having a complete screening of those to work as guards in the board.

To prime the guards to the specific functions they are expected to perform, Shekarau warned enlisted Hisbah corps against constituting themselves into a state police. Their role, he maintained, is only to assist the Conventional Nigerian Police in creating a decent society.

He emphasized: “ you should be reminded that you are not state police, because the Nigerian constitution does not provide for a state police command. You should see the Nigeria Police as partners in progress. We believe that the State Hisbah guards will gain from the police and the police will gain from the Hisbah guards in what must be concerted efforts to achieve meaningful success in the provision of security and decent public life.”       

To guide members of the Hisbah command from doing anything that may detract from the noble goals the organization is expected to achieve, committees were set up to verify personal attributes of each applicant for service under the board. The committees comprised respected elders, Ulamas, security operatives, representatives of Nigeria Civil Defense Corps and other relevant reputable personalities.

In spite of all these measures taken by Shekarau government in order to realize a disciplined and peaceful society, yet some notable citizens of the State simply could not hide their envy and frustrations. These traducers should therefore simply be ignored.