Hisbah’s war on alcohol in unrestricted areas a contradiction of the constitution- Barr. Okoye
Hisbah’s war on alcohol in unrestricted areas a contradiction of the constitution- Barr. Okoye
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As the seizures and destructions of alcoholic substance continue at unrestricted areas in Kano State, a Human Right Lawyer Barrister Festus Okoye has condemned the Kano State Government for giving such wild powers to Hisbah.
Speaking in his Kaduna office yesterday, the Human Right Lawyer said both the penal code and the 1999 constitution recognized the diversity of the North and promulgated laws to suit the diversity stressing that Hisbah has no right to intercept any vehicle carrying alcohol on the highway even though some of the high-ways passes though restricted areas.
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‘’no vigilante group by any name has the right to intercept any vehicle carrying anything on a high way build and maintained by the Federal Government. They don’t have that particular right. Secondly section 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes the diversity of opinions, recognizes the diversity in culture, recognizes the diversity of Values and based on that if you make a law that discriminate against any section of this country that law is in conflict with section 42 of the constitution of this country. And what States that have paid attention to diversity have done is to make certain areas alcohol restricted areas’’ he added
According to him, ‘’in order to make sure that the sanctity of some areas are intact, areas where segregated and designated as alcohol restricted areas you cannot sell you cannot drink. Federal High ways passes through some of these areas and nobody has the right to intercept these vehicles carrying anything containing alcohol because those Federal High ways are regulated by Federal law and no state law is capable of regulating anything on the High way. So what Hisbah is doing is completely unconstitutional and illegal it against the constitution of Nigeria’’
It will be recalled that Hisbah within the last three months have seized and destroyed alcoholic products at unrestricted areas worth 300 million naira.
Meanwhile efforts to reach the Kano State Coordinator of Hisbah as at the time of filing this report proved abortive.
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