Sokoto state Hisbah Tells Viral Rumour: “Please Leave Church Matter for Church People”

Sokoto State don enter another social-media religious storm, but this time the Sokoto State Hisbah Board dey say, “Abeg, no put our name for this matter.” The board has denied viral claims that e imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices, including alleged rules about how men and women should gather inside churches. The Commandant, Dr Usman Abdullahi Jatau, described the allegations as false and misleading, warning that such claims fit create religious tension in the state.

Sokoto State Hisbah Says the Viral Church Rules No Come From Its Office

According to Jatau, the allegations circulating online included claims that Christian worship services must separate men from women, that mixed gatherings were prohibited inside churches and that pastors could not sit together with their wives during worship. The claims reportedly went further by suggesting that the alleged restrictions were part of a wider plan to Islamise Nigeria, beginning from Sokoto and spreading to other regions. The Hisbah boss rejected all of it, saying the allegations did not reflect the board’s law, mandate or activities.

Jatau explained that the law establishing the Sokoto State Hisbah Board, as enacted by the state House of Assembly, applies to Muslims and does not give the agency authority to regulate Christian worship. In other words, according to the board’s own clarification, Hisbah no get legal assignment to enter church and start deciding who should sit where during service. The Commandant urged residents to disregard the allegations and avoid information that could damage peaceful relations between religious communities.

Sokoto state Hisbah Clarification Comes After Earlier Sokoto Religious Controversy

The latest controversy needs small background because Hisbah has actually issued religious and social directives in Sokoto this year. In July, the board announced restrictions affecting some Muslim wedding and social practices, including DJs, mixed-gender entertainment at weddings, the “Na Gani In So” marriage-introduction custom and extravagant bridal gifts. Those directives were presented as measures connected to Islamic teachings and moral standards.

That earlier development appears to be part of why the latest online claims gained attention so quickly. But subsequent clarification from both Hisbah and the Christian Association of Nigeria in Sokoto stated that the measures did not apply to Christians. Earlier this month, the Sokoto CAN chairman, Rev. Dr Kayode James, said Christians in the state were not affected by the Hisbah wedding-related restrictions. A recent fact-check also found that claims portraying the restrictions as a blanket ban covering Christians were misleading.

The distinction matters because religious issues for Nigeria no be ordinary gist. Sokoto remains a deeply religious state with a strong Islamic heritage, while Christians and other faith communities also live and conduct legitimate activities there. The state government has previously described the reactivated Hisbah as part of efforts to address social vices and moral concerns, while its official records show that the board was re-established under the current administration and has a defined organisational structure.

For now, the available evidence supports the conclusion that the specific allegations about Hisbah imposing rules on Christian worship have been rejected by the board and are not supported by the legal mandate described by its Commandant. That no mean every concern about religious freedom should automatically disappear—far from it. E simply means serious allegations need serious evidence, especially when religion and politics enter the same WhatsApp group and everybody suddenly becomes breaking-news correspondent.

The Hisbah controversy therefore remains one to watch, particularly because new claims can spread online long before official clarification reaches the public. If fresh evidence or another official position emerges, OGM News Pidgin go follow the matter closely because when religion, politics and social media enter the same pot, even small rumour fit boil plenty wahala.