27/03/2026
Katsina Law Firm Petitions Govt Over Hisbah Raid, Missing ₦221m
A Katsina-based legal firm, Legal Minded Law Firm, has petitioned the state government over alleged misconduct by operatives of the Katsina State Hisbah Board, including claims of unlawful invasion, harassment, and the disappearance of ₦221 million.
The petition, dated March 18, 2026, was addressed to Governor Dikko Umaru Radda on behalf of a businessman, Alhaji Jibrin Tanimu.
According to the firm’s lawyers, D. D. Sani and I. M. Sa’ad, the incident occurred in the early hours of March 10, when about 25 Hisbah operatives allegedly stormed the client’s residence.
The operatives, reportedly led by Nafi’u Akilu, were said to have forced entry into the premises around 1:20 a.m., damaging the gate and windows and causing panic among occupants.
The lawyers alleged that the operatives continued banging on doors and moving around the compound until the businessman surrendered.
They further claimed that after gaining access to the client’s bedroom, a sum of ₦221 million kept in the house went missing and has yet to be recovered.
Following the incident, the businessman was reportedly taken around Katsina for several hours before being detained at the Hisbah office along Jibia Road. His lawyers said he was initially denied access to his phone and legal representation.
The petition also stated that the arrest was linked to an ongoing case before Upper Sharia Court II in Katsina. Despite obtaining and serving a court order on a Hisbah official identified as Muhammadu Sh*tu, the legal team alleged that the order was ignored.
The businessman was later transferred to Kano State, where he remained in custody until he was granted bail on March 16, 2026.
Legal Minded Law Firm described the incident as a violation of fundamental rights and due process, urging the state government to investigate the actions of the Hisbah operatives.
However, the Hisbah authorities denied the allegations.
Muhammadu Sh*tu, the DCS Operations who led the operation, said the petitioner had been on a wanted list for allegedly defrauding individuals through fake job offers, from which he reportedly collected over ₦10 million in Kano.
He dismissed claims of unlawful invasion and theft, questioning the credibility of the allegation that ₦221 million was kept in the residence.
Sh*tu added that if such an amount existed, it would warrant investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Speaking on behalf of the Hisbah Commander, Dr. Aminu Usman, he maintained that the agency acted on a valid police arrest warrant and only visited the premises to effect the arrest, insisting that operatives did not enter the petitioner’s living quarters.