‘We Have No Authority Over Christians’ — Sokoto Hisbah Rejects Worship Restrictions Claims.

 

The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has denied claims that it imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices in the state.

The board’s commandant, Dr Usman Abdullahi Jatau, made the clarification in a statement issued in Sokoto on Saturday, August 29, 2026, following claims circulating on social media.

Reports attributed to a blogger identified as @radical.okoja.bia and others had alleged that the Hisbah Board prohibited mixed gatherings of men and women in churches and required Christian worship services to be separated by gender.

The claims further alleged that pastors could not sit with their wives during church services and linked the supposed restrictions to an alleged plan to Islamise Nigeria.

However, Jatau described the allegations as false and misleading, insisting that they did not reflect the law establishing the Hisbah Board or its activities.

According to him, the law establishing the Sokoto State Hisbah Board, as enacted by the Sokoto State House of Assembly, applies only to Muslims.

“The Board has no authority to dictate how Christians should conduct church services, organise gatherings, relate with their spouses during worship or practise their religion,” Jatau said.

He warned that spreading unverified claims could create religious tension and undermine peaceful relations between different faith communities in the state.

Jatau also rejected attempts to link the Hisbah Board to claims of an organised plan to Islamise Nigeria, describing such narratives as unrelated to the agency’s statutory responsibilities.

He urged residents to disregard unverified social media reports and avoid allowing them to create distrust or division among communities.

The board called for peace, unity and mutual respect among residents, while urging Nigerians to use social media responsibly and avoid exploiting religious issues for political or social purposes.