The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has denied allegations that it imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices in the state, describing the claims circulating on social media as false and misleading.
The Commandant of the Board, Dr Usman Abdullahi Jatau, made the clarification in a statement issued in Sokoto on Saturday, saying the allegations were aimed at distorting the agency’s mandate, undermining public confidence and fuelling religious tension.
The controversy followed claims by a blogger identified as @radical.okoja.bia and others alleging that the Hisbah Board was interfering in Christian worship and prescribing how churches should conduct their services.
The claims included an allegation that mixed gatherings of men and women were prohibited in churches and that Christian worship services were required to be conducted separately according to gender.
It was also alleged that pastors were not allowed to sit with their wives during church services, while the purported restrictions were linked to an alleged wider plot to Islamise Nigeria, beginning with Sokoto and extending to Plateau State and the South-West, South-East and South-South regions.
However, Jatau dismissed the allegations, saying they did not reflect the law establishing the Hisbah Board or its actual operations.
He explained that the law establishing the Sokoto State Hisbah Board, enacted by the state House of Assembly, applies only to Muslims and does not regulate Christian worship or interfere with the practices of adherents of other faiths.
According to him, the Board has neither the legal authority nor the mandate to determine how Christians conduct church services, organise gatherings, relate with their spouses during worship or practise their faith.
“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 said.
The Commandant warned that attributing such restrictions to the Hisbah Board could create unnecessary religious tension and undermine the peaceful coexistence among different communities and faith groups in Sokoto State.
He said the state remained a place where people of different religious backgrounds lived and carried out their legitimate activities, urging residents to disregard unverified claims capable of creating distrust and hostility.
Jatau also cautioned against linking the Hisbah Board to partisan political narratives, particularly claims of an organised plan to Islamise Nigeria, stressing that such issues were outside the agency’s statutory responsibilities.
“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 urged Nigerians, particularly residents of Sokoto State, to disregard the allegations and avoid using religion for political or social purposes.
It also called for peace, unity, mutual respect and responsible use of social media to preserve harmonious relations among Nigeria’s diverse religious communities.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
What do you think about this?
Drop your opinion in the comment section.
FOLLOW US & Share this with someone who needs to see this.
