By Owei Lakemfa
The dynamic Kano State Government under the able leadership of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf on February 18, 2026, the first day of the Ramaddan fast, captured a dozen Nigerians. These prisoners of religious war were apprehended for three types of assault against the religious observance.
Eight were captured by the Hisbah Religious Police in places like Kantin Kwari, Grand Central Hotel Street, Obasanjo Road Railway area, Ibrahim Taiwo Road and Unguwar Danmaliki, while eating.
A food vendor, Murna Audu was seized while carrying out the crime of selling food while fasting was on. Another, Abubakar Audu was captured for selling sugarcane. As we should know, these two are the most the dangerous because like the agents of the Devil, they can entice the innocent citizenry to prematurely break their fast.
Two young ladies aged 16 and 20, were also amongst the prisoners. These were captured along Nassarawa Hospital Road for the alleged crime of “loitering”. Their criminal act of walking on the street, could pollute or corrupt the minds of men in a season of spiritual cleansing.
The prisoners were paraded before the press where they confessed their sins and crimes. The Hisbah Deputy Commander General Mujahid Aminudeen told the press:
“We have arrested them and they are with us where we are going to be teaching them the importance of fasting, how to pray, read the Quran and become better Muslims.”
It was not stated for how long the sinners and prisoners would be held and where, as it does not seem the Nigerian prison system would accept the convicts because the entire case against them, are in gross violation of the country’s constitution.
Nigeria is not a theocracy. So, no Nigerian should be arrested for not accepting a particular religion or practicing it in a particular way or style. “Section 10 of the
Secondly, the constitution forbids that any Nigerian should be dictated to on religious issues. Section 38(1) states: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to change his religion or belief.”
The actions of the Kano State Government also violate Section 36 (1) of the Constitution which holds that: “In the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.” The victims in this case, had no fair hearing before the Hisbah paraded and, illegally found them guilty.
Also, the government violated Sub section Five which prescribes that: “ Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proved guilty.”
Again, a fundamental difference between a democracy and dictatorship is the separation of powers amongst three distinct arms; the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. In carrying out its illegality against the victims, the executive was the complainant, investigator, prosecutor, judge and appellate court.
Equally, it is criminally irresponsible for a government that does not provide unemployment benefits, to prevent citizens from carrying out their legitimate businesses. No law forbids Nigerians from carrying out their legitimate business during Ramadan. Therefore, to punish a sugarcane seller for selling his products from which he obviously earns his living, is itself, a criminal act.
Again, it is criminally immoral for a government that does not provide food for the starving, to stop a citizen from eating when he is hungry. Also painful, is the fact that those exercising their right to eat during Ramadan, may actually be doing so for health reasons. For instance, an ulcer patient or the sick, may need to eat during the prescribed time for fasting. To deny such a person that right, is like sentencing him to death.
As for the two ladies captured by the government for alleged loitering, it is a clear case of executive rascality, impunity and criminality. The colonial law of arresting or prosecuting Nigerians for alleged “wandering” ‘loitering” or having “no visible means of livelihood” was abolished under the Minor Offences (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No 29 of 1989. That was thirty seven years ago when Governor Yusuf was twenty six years old. So how come his government is applying an illegal law; is it a case of impunity or gross irresponsibility?
The level of gross irresponsibility amongst our political elites is baffling. I watched the video of how the Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State, Mr Ade Adetimehin and some party leaders were battered by armed thugs.
The incident which occurred a day before the Kano State show of shame, was at the party secretariat Stakeholders’ meeting called by the party. The attackers were according to party chieftains, thugs of the party let loose by the state government.
It was a case of dog-eat-dog with Adetimehin who was trampled on the ground crying: “They (the thugs) kept saying that the governor owns the party and that nobody can challenge his authority. We told them that we were not challenging the governor’s authority but were simply participating in a duly agreed stakeholders’ meeting. I was violently beaten…They beat the hell out of me.”
I can bet that despite this level of barbarism, Adetimehin and his cohorts would neither leave the party nor stop associating with the governor and the thugs. It is a message that if politicians in the same party can so brutalize themselves, what will they not do to others especially those who would not accept the renewed hope agenda of the ruling party.
In the 2023 presidential campaigns, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had promised renewed hope for desperate Nigerians. Now, as he seeks re-election, the President is still promising renewed hope for the masses. But if Nigerians are fed “renewed hope” for eight years, when shall the hope come? A proverb says if a person were to prepare to be mad for twenty years, for how many years does he hope to be mad? If Nigerians are to spend eight years on renewed hope, when will the hope come or be fulfilled?
But let me confess that the Tinubu supporters chanting four more years for the President, are more logical than the bunch of African Americans during the Black Month chanting four more years for President Donald Trump. At least, Tinubu is in the first of two possible terms while Trump is in his second and final constitutional term. Where will Trump’s renewed hope for four years come from?
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