Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has declared the activities of any group operating under the guise of Hisbah illegal, unauthorised and unacceptable in the state.
The governor’s directive followed reports of the emergence of a group allegedly operating as Hisbah in parts of Jos North Local Government Area, with claims that its members had been intimidating and harassing residents, demanding money and imposing rules and restrictions without lawful authority.
Mutfwang’s position was conveyed in a statement issued on Sunday by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Gyang Bere, in Jos.
The governor directed security agencies to immediately halt the activities of the group and identify those involved for investigation. He further ordered that anyone found culpable should be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with Nigerian law.
The directive also extends to individuals or organisations suspected of promoting, sponsoring, aiding or abetting the reported activities.
Mutfwang maintained that Plateau State operates under a single constitutional and legal framework and would not permit any individual or group to assume governmental or law-enforcement powers outside the authority granted by law.
He warned that the state would not tolerate the emergence of parallel authorities or self-appointed enforcement bodies seeking to impose rules, restrictions or sanctions on residents.
The governor also instructed security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering and other lawful operations to establish the identity and activities of those behind the reported Hisbah operation.
He stressed that the government’s action was based on concerns over lawful conduct, public order and legitimate authority, rather than religion, ethnicity or community.
Plateau State, he noted, remains a diverse society comprising people from different religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, all of whom are entitled to equal protection under the law.
The governor further assured residents that his administration would continue to respond to credible security concerns and protect citizens from intimidation, harassment, extortion and other forms of unlawful coercion.
Hisbah organisations operate in several northern Nigerian states, including Kano, Katsina and Sokoto, where they have varying degrees of official recognition. However, the Plateau State government’s latest directive makes clear that no group will be permitted to exercise enforcement powers in the state without lawful authorisation.
The development has drawn attention to the broader debate over the role and limits of religious enforcement groups in Nigeria, particularly where their activities intersect with constitutional rights, public security and the authority of established law-enforcement institutions.
For the Plateau government, the immediate priority is to prevent the emergence of any parallel structure capable of imposing rules or sanctions on residents outside the state’s established legal framework.
Security agencies are now expected to investigate the reported activities, identify those responsible and take appropriate legal action where violations of the law are established.
