The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has denied allegations that it imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices in the state, stressing that it has no legal authority to regulate how Christians conduct their religious activities.
The board’s Commandant, Dr Usman Abdullahi Jatau, made this known in a statement issued in Sokoto on Saturday, August 29.
The clarification followed claims circulating on social media that the Hisbah Board was interfering with Christian worship in the state.
The allegations, reportedly shared by a blogger identified as @radical.okoja.bia and others, claimed that churches had been prohibited from holding mixed gatherings of men and women and that Christian worship services were required to be conducted separately for males and females.
The claims further alleged that pastors were not allowed to sit with their wives during church services and linked the supposed restrictions to an alleged plan to Islamise Nigeria.
However, Jatau dismissed the allegations as false and misleading, saying they were inconsistent with the law establishing the Hisbah Board and its actual responsibilities.
According to him, the law establishing the Sokoto State Hisbah Board, as enacted by the state House of Assembly, applies exclusively to Muslims.
He stressed that the agency has no mandate to regulate Christian worship or the religious practices of people belonging to other faiths.
“The Board has no authority to dictate how Christians should conduct church services, organise gatherings, relate with their spouses during worship or practise their religion,” Jatau said.
He warned that spreading such allegations could create unnecessary religious tension and undermine the peaceful coexistence among different religious communities in Sokoto State.
Jatau noted that people from different religious backgrounds continue to live together and conduct their lawful activities in the state, urging residents not to allow unverified social media reports to fuel distrust or division.
The commandant also rejected attempts to associate the Hisbah Board with claims of an organised plan to Islamise Nigeria, describing such narratives as political issues unrelated to 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,” Jatau said.
The Hisbah Board urged Nigerians, particularly residents of Sokoto State, to disregard the allegations and refrain from using religion for political or social purposes.
It also called for peace, unity, mutual respect and responsible use of social media to preserve harmonious relationships among Nigeria’s diverse religious communities.
