Sokoto Hisbah Rejects Claims of Restrictions on Christian Worship

By Fahad Faruk Galadanchi

The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has denied allegations that it has introduced restrictions on Christian worship and church activities in the state, describing the claims as false, misleading and capable of causing religious tension.

The Commandant of the Board, Dr. Usman Abdullahi Jatau, made the clarification in a statement issued on Saturday in Sokoto, saying the allegations circulating on social media were a misrepresentation of the agency’s mandate.

The controversy arose following claims by a blogger identified as @radical.okoja.bia and others that the Hisbah Board was regulating Christian worship and imposing rules on how churches should conduct their services.

The reports allegedly claimed that men and women could not worship together in churches and that Christian services were required to be organised separately along gender lines.

They also alleged that pastors were not permitted to sit with their wives during church services, linking the purported restrictions to an alleged plan to Islamise Nigeria, beginning with Sokoto and extending to Plateau State and other regions.

But Jatau dismissed the allegations, saying they had no basis in the law establishing the Hisbah Board or in its actual operations.

He said the legislation establishing the Board, enacted by the Sokoto State House of Assembly, governs matters concerning Muslims and does not confer powers on the agency to regulate Christian worship or interfere with the religious practices of non-Muslims.

“Hisbah has neither the legal authority nor the mandate to dictate how Christians should conduct church services, organise mixed gatherings, relate with their spouses during worship or practise their faith” he said.

The Commandant said attributing such restrictions to the Board was a distortion of facts that could create unnecessary religious tension and damage the peaceful coexistence that has characterised relations among different faith communities in Sokoto.

“Our response is not intended to please or offend anybody, but to correct factual inaccuracies, challenge unsupported assertions, and distinguish facts from malicious and fictitious misinterpretations” Jatau stated.

He urged residents to be cautious about unverified information circulating on social media, stressing that people of different religious backgrounds continue to live and conduct their legitimate activities in the state.

Jatau further warned against using the Hisbah Board as a vehicle for partisan political narratives, particularly claims of an organised Islamisation agenda.

“The blogger should continue his campaign for whichever party he is working for, but should not link the Sokoto State Hisbah Board with his assertions on the political fortune or misfortune of the country” he said.

The Board appealed to members of the public to disregard the allegations and avoid actions capable of exploiting religious differences for political or social purposes.

It reaffirmed its commitment to peace, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among the various religious communities in Sokoto State.