Katsina Law Firm Petitions State Over Hisbah Misconduct, ₦221m

A Katsina-based legal firm, Legal Minded Law Firm, has petitioned the state government over alleged misconduct by members of the 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, available to LEADERSHIP.

According to the 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 house around 1:20 a.m., breaking the gate, damaging windows, and causing panic within the household.

The petition stated that the operatives continued banging on doors and moving around the premises until the businessman surrendered.

The firm alleged that after gaining access to the client’s bedroom, a sum of ₦221,000,000 kept in the house went missing and has not been recovered.

Following the incident, the businessman was reportedly taken around Katsina for hours before being detained at the Hisbah office along Jibia Road. His lawyers claimed he was denied access to his phone and legal representation at the initial stage of his detention.

The petition further revealed that the arrest was linked to an ongoing case before the Upper Sharia Court II Katsina. Despite obtaining and serving a court order on a Hisbah official identified as Muhammadu Shitu, the legal team alleged that the order was disregarded.

The businessman was subsequently 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 intervene and investigate the actions of the Hisbah operatives.

Responding to the petition, the DCS Operations, Muhammadu Shitu, who led the operation, stated that the petitioner had been on the wanted list for allegedly defrauding several individuals through fake job offers, from which he reportedly collected over ₦10,000,000 in Kano.

He dismissed the allegation of invasion and theft of a large sum of money from the petitioner’s residence, questioning the credibility of the claim that ₦221 million was kept in his home.

He noted that such an amount, if true, should be subject to investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Shitu, speaking on behalf of the Hisba Commander, Dr. Aminu Usman, further clarified that the agency acted on a valid arrest warrant from the police to apprehend the petitioner, adding that officers only went to the premises to effect the arrest and did not enter the petitioner’s living quarters.