Creation of politically funded Hisbah in Kano by Ganduje supporters is a threat to national security- CSOs (+Photos)

● Call for disbandment
● Says it poses threat to constitutional order

A coalition of civil society organisations under the platform of Global Centre for Conscious Living Against Corruption on Wednesday condemned the creation of another Hisbah in Kano State.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on behalf of the CSOs, the convener, Dr Gabriel Nwambu, declared that:

“This development is a clear indication of another Boko Haram as it has religion dangerously laced to it.

Advertisement

The Global Centre for Conscious Living Against Corruption (GCCLAC) , a coalition of Civil Rights Organizations, hereby calls for the following immediate and decisive actions:

To this end, the coalition demanded for an Immediate disbandment of the group and the Kano State Government must issue a definitive public statement declaring the “Hisbah Independent Fisabilillahi” illegal, unlawful, and an enemy of the state’s security.

” Comprehensive Security Investigation: The Nigeria Police Force, DSS, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) must launch an urgent, comprehensive, and transparent investigation into:
The Promoters and Structure of the group.

“The Sources, Management, and Accountability of its substantial funding.

Any possible links to political militias, arms proliferation, or international terror financing networks.

Proactive Youth Engagement: The government must develop urgent socioeconomic intervention programmes to address the poverty and unemployment being exploited to recruit vulnerable youth into such dangerous formations.

Nwambu further explained that “following the emergence of a parallel Hisbah group under the guise of religious or humanitarian effort, especially with alleged deep political ties and significant, untraced funding, is equivalent to planting a seed of anarchy and future violence.

“The time for decisive action is now, before a private political experiment in Kano metaphorsises into a national security catastrophe.

While highlighting the development Dr Nwambu said: “groups in Nigeria is often rooted in the unchecked proliferation of unregulated, youth-based enforcement or ‘vigilante’ organizations. As the background document notes, groups like Boko Haram started with different names (such as “ecomog”).

Benin’s failed coup: Russian shadows, weaponised disinformation, and a warning to West Africa, By Oumarou Sanou

“Allowing a large, politically-funded group of 12,000 disengaged youths to organise under a private religious banner creates a fertile ground for:
• Radicalisation: The lack of accountability and the political context can facilitate the injection of extremist ideologies.
• Militarisation: What starts as moral policing can quickly evolve into a fully-fledged private militia, capable of armed conflict.

The Urgent Imperative to Investigate Funding and Motives

“The most critical area of concern, demanding immediate and rigorous investigation by the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), is the financing of this alleged parallel force.

“Sources of Funding: A Public Interest Concern
The mobilisation and sustenance of a 12,000-personnel group requires significant and sustained financial resources. This is a grave public interest matter, raising questions of:

” Laundering and Diversion of Public Funds: Could the funds be derived from ill-gotten gains or diverted public resources, now being used to finance private political ambition?

” Illicit Sources: Is this financing linked to criminal enterprises, kidnapping for ransom, or other illicit activities that are fueling the nation’s insecurity?

“Possible Links to Terror Financing and Transnational Groups
In an era of intensified global efforts against Terror Financing (TF), security agencies must investigate potential links between the significant funds supporting this large, unregulated group and larger transnational terror networks.

“The FATF Framework: Nigeria, guided by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations, must scrutinise the flow of funds to non-profit, religious-sounding organisations to prevent their exploitation for terrorism or proliferation.

“The Nexus of Crime and Terror: The funds used to sustain such a large-scale, private group could provide a direct financial pipeline that can be easily diverted to procuring arms, facilitating arms proliferation, or funding militant activities—much like the complex financial networks that support terrorism across the Sahel region.