Kano govt arrest non-fasting Muslims

Sets aside N1bn for poor due

Men of the Kano Hisbah Board have embarked on the massive arrest of Muslims who deliberately refuse to fast during this holy month of Ramadan.

Already, several Muslims, mostly students and jobless school leavers, have been arrested and are now receiving different degrees of punishment as spelt out by Sharia law.

When our correspondent visited the Sharada headquarters of the Hisbah Board, officials were seen making final preparations for yesterday’s operation.

The religious police, according to an insider, normally visit flash points where young men and women normally hang out to enjoy themselves.  Last week, during such operation, several young men and women were arrested for drinking, smoking and even taking drugs openly during day time.

But the new exercise is already generating tension between the board and members of the public.  Some of those who spoke with Blueprint are of he opinion that religion is an issue between a person and his Creator.  Hisbah, therefore, has no power to harass them or force them to fast.

It could be recalled that recently the Director General of the board, Alhaji Abba Said Sufi, directed that henceforth night-time courtship was cancelled in Kano, meaning young men are no longer allowed to visit their fiancés in the night, an exercise which has been existing for ages.

Commander General of the Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminuddeen Daurawa, told newsmen that the exercise became necessary to punish Ramadan culprits.  He insisted that the new Hisbah Board which he heads will do everything possible  to purge Kano of vices.

Meanwhile, the Kano State Zakkah and Endowment Commission is to distribute N1 billion Zakkah collections to one million indigent people in the state.

Director General of the commission, Alhaji Safiyanu Gwagwarwa, disclosed this yesterday in Kano.

He told reporters that the commission had since commenced screening of the beneficiaries, who would be given N10, 000 each.

The DG further disclosed that the screening would be carried out in phases as the commission has completed the screening of first and second batches of the beneficiaries.

“The screening of the third batch of 1,000 persons, comprising of orphans, has also commenced in earnest,” he said.

Gwagwarwa said each beneficiary would collect N10, 000 after filling a form to ensure accountability and transparency in the disbursement of the collected money.

The collection was made from wealthy individuals like commissioners and other top government officials in the state for the purpose of distributing to poor people as demanded by Islamic religion, he said.

He said the commission had also planned to distribute grains to the needy in addition to off-setting medical bills of sick persons who could not afford to pay the bills.

Gwagwarwa called on well-to-do individuals to ensure prompt payment of their Zakkah, the poor due, to the commission for onward distribution to the poor and the needy as demanded by Islam. “This is necessary in order to assist the poor so as to prevent them from going out to beg for alms”.

He said the commission had recently carried out public enlightenment campaign where it sensitized wealthy individuals on the need to ensure prompt payment of the Zakkah.

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