A joint team of Yobe State Islamic Police Corps, known as Hisbah, NDLEA and Policemen, have arrested 37 persons for alleged prostitution and illegal sale of alcohol in Damaturu, Yobe State capital.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the arrests, the acting Commander General of Hisbah, Mohammed Murtala Goni Ahmed, who paraded the suspects on Friday at the Police Area Command’s office, said the arrests were carried out at Zango, Maina Lodge, Ajayi, Bakin Kasuwa and Last Bus Stop, all in Damaturu.
According to him, a total number of 37 suspects comprising 17 females and 20 males aged between 15 and 18 were arrested.
“The investigation conducted on the suspects also revealed that, out of the male number, many were found selling hard drugs and also some are found in possession of 50 cartons of different bottles of beer,’’ Goni said.
Some of the arrested suspects, who spoke to LEADERSHIP, said they were wrongly arrested as they were not guilty of what they were accused of.
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Maryam Umar, 19, claimed she was at Ajayi Joint to buy food when she was arrested.
Another female suspect, who identified herself as Christy Peter, told LEADERSHIP that she and her friend were at the Maina Lodge to buy drinks and watermelon outside the gate when they were picked up.
It was gathered that most of the suspects were teenagers and were not indigenes of the state as most of them were from Kano, Gombe, Borno, Bauchi, and Plateau State and even far away Niger and Chad Republics.
Also, speaking to journalists, the Commissioner Ministry for Religion Affairs, Alhaji Yusuf Umar Potiskum, assured the people of the state that the Hisbah members would work hard to justify the confidence reposed in them.
Potiskum commended Governor Mai Mala Buni for his foresight and commitment in upholding good morals based on Islamic teachings.
He lamented the high level of moral decadence in the society, which gave rise to so many cases of drug abuse, rape, and abandoned babies, which, according to him, Hisbah was playing a pivotal role in addressing the menaces.
