By James Orji
Kano State Hisbah Board has admitted that it cherry-picks while applying Shari law on the citizens of the state. The Islamic police has been trenchantly criticized for applying the Islamic law on the poor while the rich in the society are never apprehended nor punished for breaking the law.
During the recent wedding Fathia of president Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf in Kano, many Nigerians had demanded that his bride, Zarah Ado Bayero be arrested and punished by Hisbah Police, for wearing an “unIslamic dress during the ceremony.
A Sharia court sitting Kano state had earlier in the week, sentenced Kannywood actress and blogger, Sadiya Haruna, to six months in Islamic school for “uploading sexual contents on her social media handles.”
Yusuf’s bride and her guests also shared and uploaded contents, including guests at the party dancing to the vulgar song of Naira Marley, which are deemed to be against Islamic religion on various social media platforms. But nothing has happened to her.
The Hisbah Board’s Director, Dr. Aliyu Musa Aliyu Kibiya, while speaking with a Kano based Freedom Radio, said the board is very careful when handling matters relating to the rich, adding that such matters will be referred to ‘Allah’ to judge.
Kibiya said, “We see things differently. If a leader errs it is against the teaching of Islam for us to go to the mosque and publicise it.”
“We have ways to reach out to leaders and preach to them, and our job is to deliver a message, but it is Allah that guides,” he said, adding that, “the way and manner in which you will call reprimand a common man and a leader differs.”
On his part the Commander General of the Board, Sheikh Muhammad Haruna Ibn Sina, argued that his organisation on different accounts had arrested the children of very influential people in the state. The Board is yet to publicise the names of wealthy people it has punished for breaking the Sharia law.
