Nigeria: Hisbah force arrest 648 street beggars in Kano State over violating orders

The Islamic police force Hisbah which is responsible for the enforcement of Sharia in the Kano State has reportedly arrested 648 street beggars in the state between the month of February to September for violating an order by the state government which banned street begging, according to a news report by Naija News.

The development was confirmed to newsmen in Kano on Wednesday by the board’s spokesperson, Lawan Ibrahim, who noted that the beggars were arrested around the Bata Area Murtala Muhammed way, Nasarawa Hospital, Railway Station, and Yahuza Suya junction in the city.

According to Ibrahim, 416 females and 232 males were arrested during the raid, added that they will continue to arrest beggars who paid a deaf ear to the law.

He said; “We will make Kano streets beggar-free.

”Those arrested have been screened and those who were are first time offenders will be handed over to their relatives. Those who are not first-time offenders would be charged to court,” Ibrahim added.

Islamic religious police or Hisbah force is an official vice squad that enforces religious observance and public morality on behalf of national or regional authorities based on its interpretation of sharia. The practice is generally justified with reference to the doctrine of hisba, which is based on the Quranic injunction of enjoining good and forbidding evil and refers to the duty of Muslims to promote moral rectitude and intervene when another Muslim is acting wrongly.