STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY SAFETY THROUGH RIGHTS-BASED ENGAGEMENT: LAWYERS ALERT’S COLLABORATION WITH RELIGIOUS POLICE (HISBAH COMMISSION) IN KANO STATE

In line with its vision and strategic focus on advancing human rights awareness and fostering accountable, community-centered security mechanisms, especially for vulnerable communities, Lawyers Alert initiated a transformative engagement with the Hisbah Commission in Kano State. This collaboration, which commenced in January 2024, reflects our commitment to promoting policing approaches that balance community discipline with the protection of fundamental human rights.

Across northern Nigeria—including states like Kano and Jigawa—Islamic policing structures such as the Hisbah have played a visible role in enforcing religious and moral codes. However, legitimate concerns have emerged regarding practices that sometimes blur the lines between lawful enforcement and rights violations. Reports of unauthorized home entries, arbitrary arrests, and infringements on individual freedoms have sparked public debate and scrutiny. While poor media publicity may have amplified the port perception of the group, it opens up the need for refined strategies that are both rights-preserving and effective. 

While Lawyers Alert acknowledges the role of moral guidance in maintaining social order, we strongly believe that discipline and ethical standards can be advanced through inclusive, rights-compliant methods. Embedding human rights principles into policing frameworks not only enhances operational legitimacy but also strengthens public trust and cooperation.

Guided by this conviction, Lawyers Alert launched a series of strategic engagements with the Hisbah Commission to promote human rights education, institutional capacity building, and collaboration for sustained partnership aimed to equip Hisbah personnel with the tools and knowledge necessary for rights-respecting community policing, with the potential to serve as a model across other regions with similar religious enforcement structures.

These engagements were deployed in four strategic phases.

1.   Virtual Strategy Sessions with Partners and Stakeholders in Kano State

As a foundational step in its engagement with the Hisbah Commission, Lawyers Alert convened a virtual consultative forum comprising key partners and stakeholders operating across the justice and civil society sectors in Kano State. This multidisciplinary team included academics, civil society actors, and cultural influencers with deep sociological insight into Islam and the dynamics of religious policing within northern Nigeria.

The primary objective of forming this team was to lead strategic dialogue with the Hisbah Commission, leveraging their contextual understanding of the interplay between human rights and Islamic law enforcement. Many team members had previously engaged with Hisbah and brought valuable institutional memory and credibility to the process.

A second objective was to co-develop strategies and identify effective entry points for engagement with the Hisbah. These collaborative sessions enabled Lawyers Alert to critically assess opportunities, anticipate risks, and align on a common vision for the partnership.

The outcome of these virtual sessions was the development of a strategic roadmap—a well-defined set of activities and shared goals designed to guide the collaborative agenda between Lawyers Alert and the Hisbah Commission. This roadmap now serves as a blueprint for subsequent capacity building, rights-awareness, and community engagement efforts.

2.    Advocacy Visit to the Commission

Following the ideation, Lawyers Alert approached the commission, requesting for a date for an advocacy visit.

The primary goal of the visit was to formally introduce Lawyers Alert to the Hisbah leadership and present the designed roadmap for a collaborative engagement that would respond to identified gaps in the commission’s operations, image and impact.

The collaboration sought to benefit not only the Hisbah officers but also the broader Kano community through a focus on training, awareness creation, and community engagement.

Lawyers Alert, team, led by Bamidele Jacobs, the legal Director, Abuja and Her Worship, Hajara Hamza, in Kano state, met with the leadership of Hisbah on 14^th October 2024.

During which Lawyers Alert shared its extensive experience in grassroots mobilization and human rights education, emphasizing how strategic community engagement can improve both public trust and safety. A central part of the conversation was around the proposed support on capacity building for Hisbah personnel on upholding fundamental human rights in alignment with Islamic principles and Nigeria’s legal frameworks.

In a show of goodwill, the Hisbah Commission, represented by Deputy Commander Sheikh Mujahideen Aminudeen, warmly received the proposal. He noted the importance of such partnerships in addressing the negative public perceptions that have arisen due to past allegations of human rights violations.

"Our organization is deeply committed to improving community welfare, and this collaboration with the Hisbah will serve to strengthen their role in fostering peace and order while ensuring that fundamental human rights are respected," stated Barr. Bamidele, Director of Legal Services at Lawyers Alert. “We believe this initiative aligns local values with global human rights standards and will reshape the narrative around Hisbah’s operations."

The key outcome of the advocacy visit was the secured trust between the two organisations and subsequent establishment of a collaborative partnership between Lawyers Alert and the Hisbah, and a consent for kickstart plans towards the proposed rights–based policing training.

3.    Donation of Furniture to the Kanos State Hisbah Board

On 10 April 2025, Lawyers Alert donated a set of office furniture to the Hisbah Commission, Kano State, in support of the Commission’s community policing and institutional strengthening efforts.

The items were obtained after the successful completion of a partner-led Community Mobilization for Security Interventions Project and were subsequently handed over to Lawyers Alert, which donated them to the Hisbah Commission.

The Commission formally acknowledged receipt of the items, expressed immense gratitude to Lawyers Alert, and commended the organization's sustained support in enhancing the Commission’s operational capacity. The Commission further reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration and pledged to facilitate access for Lawyers Alert to engage with other Hisbah Commissions across northern Nigeria, broadening the scope and impact of this rights-based engagement model.

4.    Capacity Building of Hisbah Personnel on Rights-Based Community Policing

Lawyers Alert on 28- 30 April 2025, conducted a high-level training for Hisbah personnel on human rights, ethics, and inclusive community policing. The training targeted strategic actors within the Commission, including 8 Commandants and 8 Officers-in-Charge of Women’s Units from metropolitan LGAs, 5 Assistant Commander Generals, and departmental heads in Legal, ICT, and Women’s Mobilization. Notably, this marked the first formal human rights training for many participants.

The objective was to enhance institutional understanding of constitutional protections, reduce rights violations, and promote ethical conduct within religious policing operations

Key Outcomes and Training Impact

1.    Enhanced Legal and Human Rights Knowledge Post-training assessments revealed significant improvements in participants' understanding of human rights, constitutional provisions, gender, and interfaith protections. Participants reported increased confidence in applying rights-based frameworks during operations.

2.    Behavioral and Attitudinal Shifts - Participants shared transformative experiences of applying ethical principles in fieldwork, particularly in responding to GBV cases through structured community sensitization, timely referrals, and investigative follow-up. These shifts underscore an evolving culture of accountable policing.

3.    Peer-Led Learning and Internal Capacity Multiplication. Action plans were developed to cascade training content to over 120 junior officers across LGAs. This demonstrates strong internalization and positions the training as a catalyst for broader institutional change.

4.    Strengthened Collaboration and Accountability Structures Officers are committed to enhancing collaboration with security agencies and civil society actors for joint community engagement, case referrals, and GBV prevention.

As a follow-up to the training, the Hisbah Commission developed a comprehensive action plan to address key institutional gaps identified during the sessions, including the misapplication of human rights and religious freedoms, poor public perception due to rights violations, weak coordination with stakeholders, and the persistence of mob justice.

A key recommendation was the need for expanded step-down training, with a call for Lawyers Alert to support the design and delivery of zonal-level capacity-building sessions using localized modules to deepen knowledge of human rights, legal standards, and community policing among broader Hisbah personnel. To improve public trust, the ICT and Media Units committed to rolling out targeted radio and social media campaigns that highlight Hisbah’s lawful role and positive community impact.

Enhanced collaboration with police, CSOs, and religious/community leaders was also prioritized through joint forums to strengthen rights-based enforcement. These steps will be supported by regular monitoring, field mentoring, and internal feedback mechanisms, alongside the development of data systems to track progress. Sustained leadership commitment, contextualized training, and technical support from partners like Lawyers Alert will be critical to institutionalizing these reforms.

The presence and endorsement of senior leadership, including ACG Anas Muhammad Madabo, added credibility and commitment to this milestone engagement. Lawyers Alert remains committed to supporting the Commission’s transformation into a rights-conscious, community-trusted institution.

Looking ahead, Lawyers Alert is committed to strengthening its strategic partnership with the Hisbah Commission by institutionalizing a rights-based, community-centered policing framework. Building on this momentum, the organization will support the scale-up of localized capacity-building, co-develop human rights–aligned operational standards, and deepen multi-stakeholder engagement across security, civil society, and religious actors. This partnership advances Lawyers Alert’s overarching goal of fostering inclusive and accountable security systems that are respectful of constitutional protections and culturally grounded—an approach vital for sustainable peace and justice.