Plateau State chapter of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, has debunked allegations that an unnamed Muslim organisation has established a religious and moral enforcement group operating under the umbrella of the Hisbah Corps in Jos North Local Government Area of the state.
The JNI made the denial in a statement on Tuesday following outrage over allegations that members of the group had been involved in intimidation, harassment, extortion and the imposition of unauthorised rules and restrictions on residents in the affected areas.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had also issued a statement rejecting the establishment of the Hisbah group, and ordered an immediate halt to its activities.
He directed security agencies to identify and investigate individuals involved in the reported activities.
Following the public outcry, the JNI, in a statement issued by the state secretary, Dr Salim Musa Umar, said it was not aware of any Islamic organisation planning to establish the Hisbah Corps in any part of Plateau State.
Umar said the group was aware of the controversy which originated on social media platforms, where some individuals allegedly used images generated by artificial intelligence to create the impression that a Hisbah organisation had been established in Jos North.
Umar, however, debunked the claims, saying no Islamic organisation had any plans to establish the Corps in the state. He clarified that an organisation such as Hisbah could not be legally established without enabling legislation passed by the State House of Assembly.
“I want to assure the people that no Islamic organisation in Plateau has come out to say it wants to establish Hisbah. There is nothing like that. It has never been discussed, and it is not part of what is being considered,” Umar said.
“The matter started on social media when some people appeared in uniforms created with the help of artificial intelligence, claiming that they had established Hisbah in Jos North. The information gained traction, and people began sharing it widely.
“Hisbah cannot be established without a law from the State House of Assembly, and the government has not done that. Therefore, people cannot simply come out and claim that they have established Hisbah,” he added.
The JNI secretary also appealed to social media users to refrain from creating or circulating content capable of causing misunderstanding and disrupting peaceful coexistence in the state.
