The proposed Hisbah law in Niger State has sparked a sharp religious divide, with Christian groups pushing back strongly against the bill while Muslim organisations rally behind it, piling pressure on Governor Mohammed Bago to make a decisive call.
Christian groups in the state have voiced deep alarm over the legislation, warning that it risks inflaming religious tensions and widening the fault lines between the two dominant faiths. Among those speaking out is the Concerned Christian Advocates, which issued a formal communiqué following an emergency stakeholders’ meeting in Minna, declaring its outright rejection of the bill already passed by the Niger State House of Assembly and currently awaiting the governor’s assent.
The group’s Niger State Chairman, Amb. Marshal Okoro, said their position aligns with that of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State Chapter, and grounded their objection in constitutional and social considerations. “The creation of a religious enforcement body within a pluralistic state raises serious constitutional, social, and economic concerns. Niger State is a multi-religious and diverse society. The introduction of a religious enforcement commission may heighten religious sensitivities, deepen societal divisions, reinforce perceptions of marginalisation among minority faith communities, and undermine long-standing interfaith relations,” Okoro said. The group urged the governor to withhold his assent to the bill in the interest of preserving constitutional integrity and social harmony.
On the other side of the debate, a coalition of Islamic groups has mounted an equally firm defence of the legislation, urging Governor Bago to sign it into law without delay. Speaking on behalf of the coalition — which includes the Imam Forum of Niger State, the Council of Muslim Societies, FOMWAN, JIBWIS, Tijaniyya Groups, and Salafiyya Groups — the Niger State Amir of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, Mohammed Murshid, stressed that the Hisbah law is not targeted at Christians or non-Muslims.
The coalition argued that the bill reflects the will of the majority, noting that Niger State has an estimated Muslim population of around 90 percent. “The governor should respect the state’s popular demand and assent to the bill for its full implementation in Niger State, to promote moral uprightness and community welfare,” the groups said in a joint statement.
With both sides entrenched in their positions, the decision now rests squarely with Governor Bago, whose response to the bill is set to have far-reaching implications for religious coexistence in the state.
