Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum
By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Governor Babagana Zulum has directed the State Security Service (SSS) and State Preaching Service Commission (SPSC) to monitor, screen and arrest any cleric illegally preaching without the permission of the authorities concerned in any part of th state.
Governor Zulum added that his government can no longer tolerate anybody who would create any panic or crisis among the citizens of the state preaching unnecessarily and illegally.
The governor made the disclosure on Sunday while addressing security stakeholders that converged at the multi purpose hall of the Government House Maiduguri for a one day interactive session on the security situation of the state arising from the recent surrender of hundreds of Boko Haram members.
He said: ” I have ordered the SSS to arrest any cleric preaching in public places and inciting the public against each other.
“My government will not tolerate such act against the peace we have been battling for it to prevail in the state. That is why we are profiling those that are going to preach and even the surrendered Boko Haram members are also going to be profiled.
“I received reports few days ago, that some clerics are abusing each other in public while preaching. Calling each other names. We shall not tolerate that. We shall register them, screen them and monitor them”.
“I have also directed the State Preaching Service Commission to ensure every cleric whether Christian or Muslim is registered and monitored. Everybody that is found out to be formenting trouble, he should be arrested”, Zulum said
The governor, further, noted that “the era of careless or reckless preaching in public is over and we shall not tolerate what happened in the past 12 years or so of the insurgency to repeat itself”.
“We want peace for everybody to go about his or normal business, farmers should go back to their farmlands peacefully and farm without any fear of molestation or harassment or attack again”.