In its quest to prevent future grooming of Boko Haram terrorists through<\/p>\n
\u200ehate Islamic preching, Governor Kashim Shettima on Thursday created a
\nboard to spy on and regulate Islamic preaching across the 27 local
\ngovernment areas of the state.
\nThe board members are espected to spy on preachers who may want to spread
\nviolent doctrines in towns and villages.<\/p>\n
Speaking during the Innauguration of the board at the Government House \u200ein
\nMaiduguri, governor shettimma said the State must learn from the history
\nof the Boko Haram which had been defeated at various times by the military
\nonly for the insurgents to regroup and resurface in different forms.
\nShettima also reveale plans to set up a board that will monitor \u200ethe
\nproliferation of traditional Islamiyya, Tsangaya or Almajiri and Arabic
\nschools for the purpose of “protecting noble schools from the infiltration
\nby others which may have hidden motives aimed at teaching violent
\ndoctrines”.<\/p>\n
The Borno State Islamic Preaching Board which is the vehicle, has
\ndifferent scholars from major Islamic denominations comprising the Darika
\nand Izala groups under the Chief Imam of Borno State Chief,Imam Zannah
\nLaisu Ibrahim Ahmed as Chairman of the Board. All members of the board
\nwere present.<\/p>\n
“There is famous saying made by Winston Churchill more than fifty years
\nago that\u201cThose who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.<\/p>\n
“Majority of us in Borno State have expectedly been enthralled by the
\nsuccesses of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Multi National Forces in the
\nevident debasing of the devilish Boko Haram terror group. While we
\ncelebrate, we however seem to be paying less attention to history. If we
\ncast our minds back as short as ten 13 years ago, we would realize that
\nthe Boko Haram group has got the history of being defeated, going
\nunderground for some years, regrouping themselves and coming back through
\ndifferent forms.” Governor Shettima said<\/p>\n
The governor added that when the Boko Haram, then known as Taliban,
\nmigrated from Borno and launched attacks in Kananma, a border village in
\nYobe State around December, 2003, they were defeated by the military. They
\ndisappeared completely only to regroup and attack Bama and Gwoza police
\ndivisions in 2004.<\/p>\n
Again, they were defeated by the Military. They disappeared in 2004 only
\nto resurface in 2007 somewhere in Panshekara, an industrial area in Kano
\nState. For the third time, they were defeated by the military but they
\nregrouped as Yusufiyya movement in 2009 with mass followership and high
\npresence in Maiduguri, Bauchi and Potiskum. They were defeated after the
\nJuly, 2009 crisis only for them to regroup in December, 2010. When they
\nwere chased out of Maiduguri between 2013 and 2014, they shifted their
\nhorror to local government areas.<\/p>\n
The chronicle of Boko Haram\u2019s death and resurrection is one piece of
\nhistory that should prompt us to remaining totally focused towards
\nensuring that we do not make the mistake of others in allowing the group
\nto ever return to our midst”<\/p>\n
“At all instances of their regrouping, the Boko Haram sect recruited new
\nmembers, mostly through open preaching to spread their misguided ideology,
\ntargeting teenagers. They had leaders who openly preached in mosques and
\nat special gatherings, without showing violence at initial levels.<\/p>\n
“We must take firm, consistent and knowledge based steps to continuously
\nseparate between those clerics who preach in the name of Allah and those
\nwho kill innocent souls in the name of Allah. Often times, preachers with
\nviolent attention start on normal note, they tend to start by being nice,
\nthey exhibit friendship to gain acceptance before they systematically
\nbegin to share misguided ideologies in their true colours.
\n“The job of theBorno State Islamic Preaching Board is not only to set
\npreaching standard but importantly, to be alert in spotting unusual and
\nsuspicious preaching among Islamic clerics.<\/p>\n
“The board must take special attention on new comers into the existing
\ngroup of preachers in all parts of Borno State. The Board has to make
\ndeliberate efforts to work with community sources across the 27 local
\ngovernment areas of the State in getting information about any form of
\nsuspicious preaching not only in urban centres but in villages.<\/p>\n
“We shouldn\u2019t expect Boko Haram to come back using a familiar identity. If
\nthey will try to return, they may apply different forms. The Board has to
\nbe alert and has to encourage preachers who will use knowledge to change
\nthe Boko Haram narrative” the Governor said.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the Board and Chief Imam of the State pledged the
\ncommitment of his members with a promise to live to Governor Shettima’s
\nexpectations and those of the people of Borno State.<\/p>\n
The State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Mustapha Fannarambe said in
\nhis introductory remark that Shettima’s action in constitution and
\ninauguration of the Board was in exercise of powers \u200econferred on the
\nGovernor under Section 4, subsection 1 of the Borno State Islamic
\nPreaching Board Law 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In its quest to prevent future grooming of Boko Haram terrorists through \u200ehate Islamic preching, Governor Kashim Shettima on Thursday created a board to spy on and regulate Islamic preaching…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n