Boko Haram: Borno Sets up Spy Agency To Regulate Islamic Preaching

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.
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