Why we treat the rich and poor differently — Hisbah

The Kano Hisbah Board has explained why it gives different treatment between the rich and the poor in its operations.

Hisbah recently came under fire for turning blind eyes to wedding events involving the rich, especially the ‘revealing’ wedding dresses of the bride of Yusuf Buhari, the son of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The operatives of the Sharia police also recently launched a clampdown on young men with stylish haircuts, in addition to banning mannequins at fashion shops.

Explaining the reason for the preferential treatment, a director at the board, Aliyu Kibiya, told Freedom Radio that it is against the tenets of Islam to publicly criticize a leader.

“Although we call on everybody in the society to do the right thing, but we make the call on case by case basis.

“It is against the tenets of Islam to mount the podium and call out leaders. There are ways to caution a leader without criticizing him in public,” Mr Kibiya said.

However, the commander-general of the board, Haroun Ibn-Sina, told the radio station that they also arrest the children of the rich.

Mr Ibn-Sina did not cite examples of the children of the rich arrested by Hisbah.