By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto
Sokoto State Hisbah Board has dismissed as false and misleading allegations circulating on social media that the state’s religious enforcement agency has imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices.
The Board, in a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday in Sokoto by its Commandant, Dr. Usman Abdullahi Jatau, described the allegations as a deliberate attempt to distort the mandate of the agency, undermine public confidence and inflame religious sentiments in a state noted for its long-standing tradition of peaceful coexistence.
The controversy followed claims circulated by a blogger identified as @radical.okoja.bia and others, alleging that the Hisbah Board was interfering with Christian worship and imposing rules on how Christians should conduct religious services in Sokoto.
Among the allegations were claims that mixed gatherings of men and women were prohibited in churches and that Christian worship services were required to be conducted separately according to gender.
The allegations further claimed that pastors could not sit together with their wives during church services, while also linking the alleged restrictions to a broader conspiracy to Islamise Nigeria, beginning from Sokoto and extending to Plateau State, the South-West, South-East and South-South regions.
But the Hisbah Commandant categorically rejected the claims, insisting that they neither reflect the law establishing the Board nor its operational mandate or activities.
Dr. Jatau explained that the law establishing the Sokoto State Hisbah Board, as enacted by the Sokoto State House of Assembly, applies only to Muslims, stressing that it does not regulate Christian worship or interfere with the religious practices of adherents of other faiths.
He said the Board therefore had neither the legal authority nor the mandate to dictate how Christians should conduct church services, organise mixed gatherings, relate with their spouses during worship or practise their faith.
According to him, the attempt to attribute such restrictions to the Hisbah Board amounted to a dangerous distortion of facts capable of creating unnecessary religious tension and undermining the peaceful relationship existing among communities and faith groups in Sokoto State.
“Our response is not intended to please or offend anybody, but to correct factual inaccuracies, challenge unsupported assertions, and distinguish facts from malicious and fictitious misinterpretations,” Jatau said.
The Commandant maintained that Sokoto remains one of the states where people of different religious backgrounds live and conduct their legitimate activities, urging members of the public not to allow unverified social media claims to create distrust, hostility or division among religious communities.
He also cautioned against dragging the Hisbah Board into partisan political narratives, particularly the allegation of an organised agenda to Islamise Nigeria, describing such assertions as unrelated to the statutory responsibilities of the agency.
“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,” the Commandant stated.
The Board consequently urged Nigerians, particularly residents of Sokoto State, to disregard the allegations and resist attempts to exploit religion for political or social purposes, stressing the need for peace, unity, mutual respect and responsible use of social media to preserve harmonious relations among the country’s diverse religious communities.
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