In
a move to prevent a recurrence of factors that encouraged the spread of
Boko Haram ideology, the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim
Shettima, has set up a regulatory body to censor Islamic teachings in
the state.
Shettima, who spoke at the inauguration of the body, named Borno
State Islamic Preaching Board, said its task is to help prevent “history
from repeating itself”.
The governor said the board’s major task is to monitor and spy on the
preaching of all Islamic clerics especially those in the remote areas
of the 27 local government areas of the state.
The Board is to be headed by the Chief Imam of Borno State, Imam Zannah Laisu Ibrahim Ahmed.
Mr. Shettima urged the board to 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”.
All members of the board were present during the inauguration yesterday at the Government House, Maiduguri.
The governor said Borno and its people “must learn from the history
of the Boko Haram”, which he noted, keeps re-surging despite being
defeated at various times by the military.
“There is a famous saying made by Winston Churchill more than 50
years ago that ‘those who fail to learn from history are doomed to
repeat it’”, he said.
“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.
“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 the Borno 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.
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