Sultan-Backed JNI Says No Plans To Establish Hisbah In Plateau

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, an Islamic organisation headed by the Sultan of Sokoto as its President-General, has dismissed reports that Muslim groups are planning to establish a Hisbah organisation in Plateau State.
The clarification came shortly after the Plateau State Government warned that no group should attempt to establish Hisbah in the state, particularly in Jos North Local Government Area.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Tuesday, the Secretary of the Plateau State chapter of JNI, Dr Salim Musa Umar, said no Islamic organisation in the state had announced plans to establish Hisbah in Jos North.
“There is nothing like that. It has never been discussed and it is not part of what is being considered,” Umar said.
According to him, the controversy was triggered by social media posts in which individuals allegedly used artificial intelligence-generated images to create the impression that a Hisbah organisation had already been established in Jos North.
Umar said the images and claims subsequently circulated widely, generating reactions and concerns among residents.
He further argued that an organisation such as Hisbah could not simply be established without the necessary legal framework.
“Hisbah cannot be established without a law from the State House of Assembly, and the government has not done that. Therefore, people cannot simply come out and claim that they have established Hisbah,” he said.
The JNI official urged the Plateau State Government to thoroughly investigate reports involving religious groups before reacting, particularly where such reports could heighten tension between communities.
He also appealed to social media users to stop creating or circulating materials capable of causing misunderstanding and threatening peaceful coexistence in the state.
The development follows the Plateau State Government’s warning against any attempt to introduce or establish Hisbah in the state, amid growing debate over the alleged activities of the group in Jos North.