A coalition of civil society organisations has warned that the emergence of a parallel Hisbah group in Kano State poses a grave threat to national security and constitutional order.

The group, operating under the name Hisbah Independent Fisabilillahi, should be immediately disbanded and declared illegal by the Kano State Government, the coalition said on Wednesday in Abuja.

Speaking on behalf of the Global Centre for Conscious Living Against Corruption, the convener, Dr Gabriel Nwambu, told journalists that the development “is a clear indication of another Boko Haram,” alleging that the group’s operations are “dangerously laced with religion” and backed by untraced political funding.

The coalition called for a comprehensive investigation by the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit into the promoters, structure, and financing of the group. It urged security agencies to probe any possible links to political militias, arms proliferation, or international terror-financing networks.

Nwambu said the formation of a large, unregulated group said to consist of about 12,000 youths risks fostering radicalisation and future violence. He warned that what begins as moral policing could evolve into a private militia capable of threatening peace and stability.

The CSOs further raised concerns about the sources and management of the group’s alleged substantial funding, questioning whether the money could be tied to diverted public funds, illicit activities, or criminal enterprises fuelling insecurity.

They also urged government authorities to introduce urgent socioeconomic programmes to prevent vulnerable youths from being recruited into unregulated formations presented as religious or humanitarian initiatives.

According to Nwambu, allowing such groups to flourish without oversight is “equivalent to planting a seed of anarchy,” and decisive action is necessary to avert a potential security crisis.