The Independent Hisbah Guard, initiated by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje with a prospective 12,000 guards, has commenced its recruitment exercise.
The Independent Hisbah Guard idea was mooted by former Governor Ganduje as a settlement for 12,000 state Hisbah staff said to have been sacked by the Government of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Alhaji Baffa Babba DanAgundi, who is overseeing the recruitment of the prospective guards, explained that the initiative was designed to create opportunities for about 12,000 individuals who were previously disengaged from the state-owned Hisbah Command.
Baffa Babba DanAgundi noted that the initiative was devoid of any political colouration, but was an attempt to offer job opportunities to those unilaterally sacked and to support the state and its people on security fronts.
Sheikh Harooun Ibn Sina, a former Commander General of the Hisbah under the Ganduje administration, is leading the initiative, known as the Independent Hisbah Fisabilillah, under the Ganduje Foundation.
He said the organisation was purely voluntary and not affiliated with the Kano State Government.
According to him, the outfit was established for religious and humanitarian purposes, stressing that it was not intended to rival the state-owned Hisbah Board.
“This is not a government agency. It is a voluntary organisation set up solely for the sake of Allah. We are not competing with the government Hisbah,” Ibn Sina said.
The emergence of the independent Hisbah organisation has stirred public debate, with the NNPP-led government describing it as an outright attempt to create tension and uncertainty in the state.
Already, the Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of former APC National Chairman Ganduje for allegedly inciting the public and making derogatory comments capable of causing unrest.