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Hisbah as a Model of Community Policing in Nigeria

Received: 22 January 2024     Accepted: 19 November 2024     Published: 29 November 2024
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Abstract

As a religious police, there is an ongoing debate on whether Hisbah can aligned itself to the philosophy of community policing that stressed the need for the uniformed officers to engage local citizens in law enforcement activities, which shall be accomplished through flexible hierarchies and protocols, with a view to address the root causes of neighborhood crimes and disorder. In view of the above, this paper examined the nature of Hisbah police work in the Moslem dominated northern Nigeria where it was established with a view to understand how the elements common to all community policing approaches are observed. It was established that community policing attributes including partnership, organizational transformation and problem solving are not only found in Hisbah policing, but also a prerequisite without which no Hisbah policing can take place. In fact, the study has established that Hisbah policing is another model of community policing, which was ignored by the academia and criminal justice commentators. The paper posited that in the Hisbah community policing model, there is always a constructive engagement of the citizens in the police enterprise, especially in addressing moral decadence which often give birth to crime and disorder in the community. Finally, the study has established that community policing has been recognized by and practiced in Islamic sharia states, which prompted the debate on whether the philosophy of community policing was copied from the Hisbah policing model, being the oldest (more than 1000 years old), or it was just a mere coincidence. The debate is opened for researchers to explore.

Published in Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 12, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.hss.20241206.16
Page(s) 223-228
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Hisbah, Community Policing, Partnership, Organizational Transformation, Problem-Solving

References
[1] Abdullahi, A. (2010). “Harking Back to Hisbah” Accounts Today, Retrieved from
[2] Adamu, F. L. (2015) “Gender, Hisbah and enforcement of Morality in Sharia Implementing States of Zamfara and Kano in Northern Nigeria” African Gender Institute. Archived from the original on 24 April, 2022.
[3] Alemika, E. E. O (2010) History, Context and Crisis of the Police in Nigeria. A Paper Presented at the Biennial Retreat of the Police Service Commission on the theme, Repositioning the Nigeria Police to Meet the Challenges of the Policing a Democratic Society in the twenty-First Century and Beyond, held at the Le Meridian Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, November 1-4.
[4] Alemika, E. E. O. and Chukwuma, I. (2000) Police Community Violence Lagos: Center for Law Enforcement Education of Nigeria.
[5] Amnesty International (2011) Nigeria: Trapped in the Cycle of Violence London: Amnesty International Press.
[6] Asein, J. O. (1998) Introduction to Nogerian Legal System Ibadan: Sam Bookman Publishers.
[7] Aydemir, M. (2012) The Hisbah and its Economic Functions An Unpublished Short Essay Submitted to the Department of Islamic Economice, International Islamic University Malaysia.
[8] Baker, B. (2008) “Security Sector Reform and Non-state Policing in Africa” Being a Paper Presented at Chatham House on 22nd January, 2008.
[9] Bennett, T. H. (1994) 'Community policing on the ground: developments in Britain'. In: Rosenbaum, D. (Ed.) The Challenge of Community Policing: Testing the Promises. London: Sage.
[10] Beredugo, A. J. (2009) Nigerian Legal System: An Introductory Tex. Lagos; Malthouse Press Limited.
[11] Dambazau, A. B. (2007) Criminology and Criminal Justice Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited.
[12] Goldstein, H. (1977) The Urban Police Functions Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger Publishing.
[13] Gwarzo, T. H. (2003) “Activities of Islamic Civic Associations in the Northwest of Nigeria: with Particular Reference to Kano State” African Spectrum, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp 289-318.
[14] Ikuteyijo, L. (2012) “Community Partnership in Policing: The Nigerian Experience” The Police Journal 85(2): 123-131.
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[16] Larson, R. C. (1978) Police Deployment from Urban Public Safety Systems Vol. 1. Lexington, Massachusett: Lexington Books.
[17] Muhammad-Noor, M. F. (2014) “The Function of Hisbah and its Contemporary Context” In Shariah Aspects in Business and Finance (SABF).
[18] Network of Human Rights Violations Monitors (2006) The State of Human Rights in Nigeria Lagos: NHRVM.
[19] Nuraddeen, U. (2010) Public Perceptions on Police Roles in Funtua, Daura and Katsina Metropolis An Unpublished M.Sc Thesis Submitted to the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Bayero University, Kano.
[20] Oakeshott, M. (1975) “The Vocabulary of a Modern European State” Political Studies, Volume 23 issue 2-3, pages 319-341.
[21] Obilade, A. O. (1979) The Nigerian Legal System. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited.
[22] Ojukwu, E. C. S. (2011) Discovering the Police: An Excursion into Police Personality, Powers, Performance and Prudence Ibadan: Gold Press Limited.
[23] Okeshola, F. B. and Mudiare, P. E. U. (2013) “Community Policing in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects” American International Journal of Contemporary Research Vol. 3 No. 7.
[24] Olaniyi, R. (2011) “Hisbah and Sharia Law Enforcement in Metropolitan Kano” Africa Today 57(4).
[25] Radda, S. I. (1999) “Discourse on human rights and a review of motivating factors for human rights violation in Nigeria." Being a paper delivered to the Department of Sociology, A. B. U, Samaru Zaria, 1999.
[26] Radda, S. I. (2005). Criminal Justice Administration and Human Rights Violations in Nigeria: An Analysis of Detention Without Trial. An Unpublished PhD Thesis Submitted to the Department of Sociology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
[27] Radda, S. I. et al. (2011) The Nature of Police Patrol in Kano Metropolis Kano: Benchmark Publishers Limited.
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[29] Siegel, L. J. (2009) Essentials of Criminal Justice Belmont: Wardsworth Cengage Learning.
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[31] Sule, K. A. (2021) Hisbah Complementary Policing in Northwest geo-Political, Nigeria An Unpublished PhD Thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Bayero University, Kano – Nigeria.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Haruna, M. J., Sule, K. A. (2024). Hisbah as a Model of Community Policing in Nigeria. Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(6), 223-228. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241206.16

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    ACS Style

    Haruna, M. J.; Sule, K. A. Hisbah as a Model of Community Policing in Nigeria. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2024, 12(6), 223-228. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20241206.16

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    AMA Style

    Haruna MJ, Sule KA. Hisbah as a Model of Community Policing in Nigeria. Humanit Soc Sci. 2024;12(6):223-228. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20241206.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.hss.20241206.16,
      author = {Mohammed Jamilu Haruna and Kawu Adamu Sule},
      title = {Hisbah as a Model of Community Policing in Nigeria
    },
      journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
      volume = {12},
      number = {6},
      pages = {223-228},
      doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20241206.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241206.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20241206.16},
      abstract = {As a religious police, there is an ongoing debate on whether Hisbah can aligned itself to the philosophy of community policing that stressed the need for the uniformed officers to engage local citizens in law enforcement activities, which shall be accomplished through flexible hierarchies and protocols, with a view to address the root causes of neighborhood crimes and disorder. In view of the above, this paper examined the nature of Hisbah police work in the Moslem dominated northern Nigeria where it was established with a view to understand how the elements common to all community policing approaches are observed. It was established that community policing attributes including partnership, organizational transformation and problem solving are not only found in Hisbah policing, but also a prerequisite without which no Hisbah policing can take place. In fact, the study has established that Hisbah policing is another model of community policing, which was ignored by the academia and criminal justice commentators. The paper posited that in the Hisbah community policing model, there is always a constructive engagement of the citizens in the police enterprise, especially in addressing moral decadence which often give birth to crime and disorder in the community. Finally, the study has established that community policing has been recognized by and practiced in Islamic sharia states, which prompted the debate on whether the philosophy of community policing was copied from the Hisbah policing model, being the oldest (more than 1000 years old), or it was just a mere coincidence. The debate is opened for researchers to explore.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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    AU  - Mohammed Jamilu Haruna
    AU  - Kawu Adamu Sule
    Y1  - 2024/11/29
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    AB  - As a religious police, there is an ongoing debate on whether Hisbah can aligned itself to the philosophy of community policing that stressed the need for the uniformed officers to engage local citizens in law enforcement activities, which shall be accomplished through flexible hierarchies and protocols, with a view to address the root causes of neighborhood crimes and disorder. In view of the above, this paper examined the nature of Hisbah police work in the Moslem dominated northern Nigeria where it was established with a view to understand how the elements common to all community policing approaches are observed. It was established that community policing attributes including partnership, organizational transformation and problem solving are not only found in Hisbah policing, but also a prerequisite without which no Hisbah policing can take place. In fact, the study has established that Hisbah policing is another model of community policing, which was ignored by the academia and criminal justice commentators. The paper posited that in the Hisbah community policing model, there is always a constructive engagement of the citizens in the police enterprise, especially in addressing moral decadence which often give birth to crime and disorder in the community. Finally, the study has established that community policing has been recognized by and practiced in Islamic sharia states, which prompted the debate on whether the philosophy of community policing was copied from the Hisbah policing model, being the oldest (more than 1000 years old), or it was just a mere coincidence. The debate is opened for researchers to explore.
    
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Author Information
  • Department of Social Development, Kano State Polytechnic, Kano, Nigeria

  • Department of Sociology, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria

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