Islamic police reveals why they arrest the poor but leave the rich

The Kano Hisbah Board, also known as the Islamic police has explained why it treats the rich and the poor differently while enforcing some of its rules.

A director of the Islamic police, Aliyu Kibiya gave the explanation when he featured on a Freedom Radio programme.

According to Kibiya, it is against the tenets of Islam to publicly criticise a leader.

He said, “Although we call on everybody in the society to do the right thing, we make the call on a case by case basis.

“It is against the tenets of Islam to mount the podium and call out leaders. There are ways to caution a leader without criticising him in public.”

Hisbah had recently come under intense pressure to act on some pictures of the daughter of the Emir of Bichi who recently got married to President Muhammadu Buhari’s only son.

A video of the wedding party shows Nigerian singer, Mayorkun singing and some of the party attendees spotting Afro, Mohawk, or any of the hairstyles Kano State Hisbah has labelled as “unIslamic” and an insult to Islam.

Also, secular songs Hisbah has vehemently frowned upon were played at the party, with young northern men and women dancing to them.

All these have attracted punishments from Kano Hisbah, in cases where poor Nigerians were involved.

Noting the hypocrisy exhibited by the Islamic police, which were nowhere to be found during the wedding, human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore had said, “Yusuf Buhari’s wedding and the Kano Hisbah that shaves the head of poor people but was nowhere to be found around the highly secular Muhammadu Buhari son’s wedding: One country, two laws -One is applicable to the poor and the other is applicable to rich and highly connected. Who says poverty is not a CRIME? #RevolutionNow #BuhariMustGo.”

Ironically, Hisbah has been notorious for shaving the heads of poor northerners with Afro, Mohawk, and other hairstyles termed as “unIslamic” by the bias Islamic police.

Similarly, in February, a barber from Benue State, Elijah Ode, was arrested by Kano Hisbah in the Sabongari area of the state for giving his customers haircuts said to have offended the Islamic faith.

Two of Ode’s customers were also tortured for having such “offensive” haircuts.

The religious police force reportedly arraigned Ode and had him remanded.

Recently, after it was knocked by the public for being silent on the photographs of the bridal shower of Buhari’s daughter-in-law, Hisbah responded by prohibiting the sharing of the bridal shower photographs.

SaharaReporters had reported that some Nigerians highlighted Zahra’s gown, part of which is made from a transparent material, while others pointed out that she did not have her hair covered as is usually done by Muslim women.

The Islamic police described sharing the photos online by Muslims as a sin.

Meanwhile, the Islamic police have since banned stylish haircuts, sagging of trousers, and playing of music at social events by disk jockeys.

Hisbah also banned commercial motorcycles and tricycle riders from carrying two women at a time.

Of recent, the Kano State Hisbah Board banned the use of mannequins to display clothes by tailors, supermarkets, and boutique owners in the state.

Hisbah Commander-in-Chief, Ustaz Harun Muhammad Sani Ibn Sina, had said the use of mannequins by tailors, boutique owners, and others contravenes the provision of Islamic injunctions.

He added that the agency would educate offenders on how Islam frowns on the use of mannequins and send its officials to apprehend and prosecute them.