Sokoto Hisbah Ban Sparks Mixed Reactions as Residents, Lawyer Question Legal Basis

By Fahad Faruk Galadanchi

Reactions from sections of Sokoto State have continued to trail over the State Hisbah Board on it recent ban on I-See-I-Love, Wazigidi gatherings, DJ activities and the overloading of women on commercial tricycles, saying Hisba is acting over board.

GaskiyaCast went round the state to hear the divergent views of the people.

In her reaction, One Huraira Ladan of Gidan-Bahure area of the state metropolis maintained that the Hisbah Board failed to consult widely before arriving at their decisions.

She said the ban on overloading of women on commercial tricycles will hinder women ability to access their destinations due to serious economic constraint. She said, women resort to overloading because it is cheaper.

Also commenting on the issue, the convener of the Temple Hands, a civil society right group in the state, Comrade Habib Muhammad Liman said the Hisbah has acted beyond their limits. He said some ceremonies affected by the ban are historically part of the culture.

He said, although there were moral wrong doings at the events but that should not necessited a total ban. He advised that the Hisbah Board should have issued some regulations on the events rather than outlawing it.

Malam Balarabe a commercial tricyclist said he received the news on the ban with utmost shock. He complained that the ban will have an adverse effect on his business due to the fact that most of his customers are women.

He said, it is a booming business during weddings. If the Hisbah Board ban some wedding celebrations and also women overloading then, the business will be left with nothing.

In an interview with GaskiyaCast, Ibrahim Maigari Dingyadi Esq said that as a Muslim and a legal practitioner with knowledge of Islamic law, he considered it a responsibility to speak on the issue, especially at a time when, according to him, Islamic religion is facing increasing negative publicity in parts of the Nigerian media.

Maigari stressed that while he supports efforts to promote Islamic values, and teachings, some of the directives announced by the Hisbah Board on july 27, 2026 have no legal foundation under the existing laws of Sokoto State.

According to him, only the Sokoto State House of Assembly has the constitutional authority to enact laws, and the law must clearly define offences and their corresponding penalties. He argued that, to his knowledge, the new directives announced by Hisbah are not contained in any law passed by the state legislature.

Maigari criticised the idea of arresting people for having certain hairstyles, describing it as a waste of government resources and valuable time when the agency should instead focus on more serious offences affecting society.

On the ban against carrying passengers on top of commercial tricycles, Barrister Maigari maintained that enforcement of road traffic regulations is the responsibility of key agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police Force, not the Hisbah Board.

He also expressed concern that many Hisbah personnel lack adequate knowledge of both Sharia and Nigerian law, a situation he said has sometimes resulted in the violation of citizens’ rights.

While acknowledging that Hisbah was established by law, Maigari insisted that the agency is equally bound by the law and cannot operate above it.

He commended the Board for actions such as shutting down brothels, combating alcohol consumption and tackling practices associated with superstition, saying those were legitimate areas where the agency should concentrate its efforts instead of policing issues such as overloading tricycles or banning certain clothing styles.

Addressing concerns that Hisbah’s enforcement often affects only ordinary citizens, Maigari argued that effective implementation of moral regulations requires legal backing and strong government support.

He suggested that if the government truly intends to prohibit I-See-I-Love, Wazigidi events and DJ gatherings, it should sponsor a bill before the Sokoto State House of Assembly imposing sanctions on event centre owners who allow such activities.

He explained that once such a law exists, Hisbah would be able to arrest offenders and hand them over to the police for prosecution, since the agency itself does not have the legal authority to prosecute cases in court.

The legal practitioner concluded that no individual can be punished for an act that is not recognised as an offence under the Constitution or any valid law, stressing that every criminal offence must be backed by legislation that clearly prescribes the applicable punishment.