The Commander of Kano State’s moral police (Hisbah), Aminu Daurawa, has returned to his position, four days after announcing his resignation.
Mr. Daurawa announced his change of mind on Tuesday after a meeting with Governor Abba Yusuf that was held late Monday.
He was accompanied to the meeting by some Hisbah officials and Islamic leaders in the state.
Mr Daurawa announced his resignation on Friday following Governor Yusuf’s criticism of the operations of Hisbah, which routinely raids locations it describes as suspected blackspots of immoral activities in the state.
In a 2:53-minute video on his Facebook page, Mr Daurawa said he was quitting his position because of the governor’s criticism.
His announcement brought the governor under criticism with some accusing his government of condoning alleged immoral activities when committed by his supporters.
After the meeting with the governor, Mr Daurawa’s zeal appeared recharged as he immediately announced a two-week notice to people engaging in immoral activities to leave Kano or face the wrath of the law.
He said the development over the past few days had strengthened the Hisbah Board as the governor has pledged to support it in the discharge of its responsibilities.
Governor Yusuf had expressed dissatisfaction with the operations of Hisbah, while hosting a group of Ulamas at the Government House, on Thursday.
“I was disturbed when I saw a video of the Hisbah operations raiding suspected places of immoral activities. They beat the suspects with sticks and while they were running some officials squeezed their legs and packed them in a vehicle like animals. This is not right.
“In this kind of operation someone, if not of God’s protection, may have a spinal cord injury and you made him permanently deformed.
“It’s a mistake to be hugging young women and men and throwing them inside a Hilux like goats. I saw a video of how Hisbah raided students’ dormitories at Bayero University (off campus), beating and squeezing them in a vehicle.
“With this, I believe that something must be done to correct the abnormalities. The Hisbah must initiate means of tackling immorality in a moral way to achieve the desired objectives otherwise the people they are trying to correct will go astray.
“May Allah protect us. If these children go astray we don’t know what the state will look like,” the governor earlier said.
The governor said Hisbah should collaborate with the police, Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies in arresting suspects and charging them to court in a civil manner.
The governor’s remarks were in reaction to a controversy that followed the arrest and arraignment of Murja Kunya, a popular Tik-toker and her supporters.
Ms Kunya was arrested last month by Hisbah officials at her residence with her boyfriend following complaints by her neighbours. She was subsequently arraigned before a magistrate’s court for allegedly posting inappropriate and un-Islamic content on TikTok.
Following her not-guilty plea, the court ordered her remanded in prison until 27 February when it would hear the case against her. However, she was later released allegedly following an “order from above.”
