To protect children and enforce state morality laws, the Sokoto State Hisbah Corps has shut down a hotel accused of repeatedly flouting regulations by accommodating underage girls.
According to the board, the closure followed sustained monitoring and earlier engagements with the hotel’s management, which reportedly failed to translate warnings and follow compliance with established moral and legal standards.
Confirming the development, the Deputy Commander General of the Hisbah Board, Abubakar Ribah, said the affected facility is located in Sokoto metropolis and was sealed yesterday after investigators established fresh violations of existing directives.
Ribah explained that the board had previously reached a formal understanding with hotel operators across the state, clearly prohibiting the lodging of underage persons in their facilities.
“This is the second time such an offence has been recorded at the Executive Hotel, despite earlier warnings and assurances by the management to desist,” he said, adding that the repeated breach left the board with little option but to enforce sanctions.
“Our actions are not arbitrary. They are guided by agreements reached with stakeholders and by the responsibility to protect minors and uphold societal values,” Ribah said.
He further stressed that the Hisbah Board would sustain its regulatory drive across the state, warning that any hospitality business found undermining agreed standards would face similar consequences.
“We will continue to act in line with the religious, cultural, and legal expectations of the society we serve,” he added.
