Viral Video: Katsina government probes alleged torture of residents by Hisbah personnel

The Katsina government has constituted a seven-member committee to investigate alleged torture against personnel of the state’s Hisbah Board.

This is coming against the backdrop of a viral video which indicated an alleged torturing of individuals by personnel of the board.

The Secretary to the State Government, Abdullahi Garba-Faskari, said the decision was a sequel to the reports and complaints received by the government.

He said the acting governor, Faruk Lawal-Jobe, directed for the setting up of the committee to investigate the allegations and make recommendations.

Garba-Faskari revealed that the committee would be headed by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Alhaji Aliyu Lawal.

He said that members of the committee were drawn from the Ministries of Religious Affairs, Internal Security and Justice, the Department of Public Service Administration, and Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), while the Director Security, SSG office would serve as secretary.

The committee was mandated to investigate the veracity or otherwise of the alleged torture of individuals by the Hisbah personnel.

“Investigate other allegations of victimisation and torture being perpetuated by the operatives; study the law establishing Hisbah board with a view to determining lapses (if any) leading to violations of human rights.

“To come up with recommendations that will address findings, identify Hisbah personnel who are involved in the act of victimisation and torture of people and recommend sanctions as appreciate,” he said.

The committee is expected submit its report within 10 days.

NewsWireNGR recalls that a journalist with Trust TV, Jamil Mabai, in May, narrated how he was detained by the Katsina State Hisbah Corps while at the corps’ office on official duty.

The journalist explained that he had gone to the Hisbah headquarters for a follow-up interview with the corps’ Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Akilu, over an incident involving their officers.

Mabai, who narrated his experience on his X handle, said he had wanted to interview the corps’ PRO over a resident, Mallam Gambo, who was shot dead by an officer of the Community Watch Corps.

According to him, while Hisbah officials were trying to shut down a wedding with a DJ, the shots that killed the resident were fired by an operative of the Community Watch Corps tasked with defending communities against bandits attacks.

Mabai said upon getting to the Hibah headquarters for the scheduled interview, he couldn’t get the PRO but unknown to him, his (PRO’s) unavailability was a set-up to detain him.

While waiting, he explained that Hisbah officers approached, detained, and confiscated his phone with claims that their action was an “order from above”.