» Governor Shettima has initiated a board to monitor preaching in Borno
– He said this will stop the rebirth of Boko Haram
– This is similar to the bill in Kaduna state that is supposed to check religious activities
Governor Kashim Shettima has followed in the footstep of his counterpart, Nasir El-Rufai by inaugurating a board that will regulate Islamic preaching in Borno.
Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna’s move to initiate a bill to regulate religious preaching sparked controversy but this has also been adopted by his Borno counterpart although this only targets Islamic preachers.

Vanguard reports that the group, Borno State Islamic Preaching Board, (BSIPB) is expected to spy on preachers who may want to spread radicalised doctrines.
Shettima said there was plan to also set up a board to monitor the proliferation of traditional Islamiyya, Tsangaya or Almajiri and Arabic schools for the purpose of“protecting noble schools from infiltration by others that may have hidden motives.”
The board is headed by Chief Imam Zannah Ahmed with representatives from other Islamic denominations.
Shettima spoke about the rise of Boko Haram in the state and why the board has a lot of work to do curtail the spread of radicalism.
»“Majority of us in Borno State have been enthralled by the successes of the Nigerian Armed Forces and multi-national forces in the evident debasing of the Boko Haram terror group.
»“However, Boko Haram has a history of being defeated, going underground, regrouping and coming back in a different form.
»“When 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 focus to local government areas.
“We must take firm, consistent and knowledge-based steps to continuously separate 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; tend to start by being nice. They exhibit friendship to gain acceptance, before they systematically begin to share misguided ideologies.
»“So 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.”
Source: Naij