In its quest to prevent future grooming of Boko Haram terrorists through
hate Islamic preching, Governor Kashim Shettima on Thursday created a
board to spy on and regulate Islamic preaching across the 27 local
government areas of the state.
The board members are espected to spy on preachers who may want to spread
violent doctrines in towns and villages.
Speaking during the Innauguration of the board at the Government House in
Maiduguri, governor shettimma said the State must learn from the history
of the Boko Haram which had been defeated at various times by the military
only for the insurgents to regroup and resurface in different forms.
Shettima also reveale plans to set up a board that will monitor the
proliferation of traditional Islamiyya, Tsangaya or Almajiri and Arabic
schools for the purpose of “protecting noble schools from the infiltration
by others which may have hidden motives aimed at teaching violent
doctrines”.
The Borno State Islamic Preaching Board which is the vehicle, has
different scholars from major Islamic denominations comprising the Darika
and Izala groups under the Chief Imam of Borno State Chief,Imam Zannah
Laisu Ibrahim Ahmed as Chairman of the Board. All members of the board
were present.
“There is famous saying made by Winston Churchill more than fifty years
ago that“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.
“Majority of us in Borno State have expectedly been enthralled by the
successes of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Multi National Forces in the
evident debasing of the devilish Boko Haram terror group. While we
celebrate, we however seem to be paying less attention to history. If we
cast our minds back as short as ten 13 years ago, we would realize that
the Boko Haram group has got the history of being defeated, going
underground for some years, regrouping themselves and coming back through
different forms.” Governor Shettima said
The governor added that when the Boko Haram, then known as Taliban,
migrated from Borno and launched attacks in Kananma, a border village in
Yobe State around December, 2003, they were defeated by the military. They
disappeared completely only to regroup and attack Bama and Gwoza police
divisions in 2004.
Again, they were defeated by the Military. They disappeared in 2004 only
to resurface in 2007 somewhere in Panshekara, an industrial area in Kano
State. For the third time, they were defeated by the military but they
regrouped as Yusufiyya movement in 2009 with mass followership and high
presence in Maiduguri, Bauchi and Potiskum. They were defeated after the
July, 2009 crisis only for them to regroup in December, 2010. When they
were chased out of Maiduguri between 2013 and 2014, they shifted their
horror to local government areas.
The chronicle of Boko Haram’s death and resurrection is one piece of
history that should prompt us to remaining totally focused towards
ensuring that we do not make the mistake of others in allowing the group
to ever return to our midst”
“At all instances of their regrouping, the Boko Haram sect recruited new
members, mostly through open preaching to spread their misguided ideology,
targeting teenagers. They had leaders who openly preached in mosques and
at special gatherings, without showing violence at initial levels.
“We must take firm, consistent and knowledge based steps to continuously
separate between those clerics who preach in the name of Allah and those
who kill innocent souls in the name of Allah. Often times, preachers with
violent attention start on normal note, they tend to start by being nice,
they exhibit friendship to gain acceptance before they systematically
begin to share misguided ideologies in their true colours.
“The job of theBorno State Islamic Preaching Board is not only to set
preaching standard but importantly, to be alert in spotting unusual and
suspicious preaching among Islamic clerics.
“The board must take special attention on new comers into the existing
group of preachers in all parts of Borno State. The Board has to make
deliberate efforts to work with community sources across the 27 local
government areas of the State in getting information about any form of
suspicious preaching not only in urban centres but in villages.
“We shouldn’t expect Boko Haram to come back using a familiar identity. If
they will try to return, they may apply different forms. The Board has to
be alert and has to encourage preachers who will use knowledge to change
the Boko Haram narrative” the Governor said.
The Chairman of the Board and Chief Imam of the State pledged the
commitment of his members with a promise to live to Governor Shettima’s
expectations and those of the people of Borno State.
The State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Mustapha Fannarambe said in
his introductory remark that Shettima’s action in constitution and
inauguration of the Board was in exercise of powers conferred on the
Governor under Section 4, subsection 1 of the Borno State Islamic
Preaching Board Law 2010.