Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, has announced a statewide ban on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, citing a surge in criminal and anti-social activities in Maiduguri and surrounding areas.
The governor made the announcement on Tuesday during the inauguration of a newly reconstituted committee tasked with revoking illegal hotels, brothels, shanties, and criminal hideouts, as well as curbing the growing menace of anti-social behaviour across the state.
Speaking at the Government House in Maiduguri, Zulum alleged that both serving and dismissed members of the armed forces and other security agencies were involved in activities that have fueled insecurity in the region.
“I’m happy that army officers, police, and other security agencies are present here today, because many of these activities are being perpetrated by dismissed and even serving officers,” Zulum stated. “There should be no sacred cow in this fight if we truly want to cleanse Maiduguri and the state of insurgency, terrorism, and criminality.”
He further accused some security personnel of influencing civilians into engaging in criminal behaviour, radicalism, prostitution, and other vices, all of which, he said, contribute to the ongoing security challenges in the state.
Zulum explained that the alcohol ban is a direct response to a rise in cult-related violence, inter-group clashes, drug abuse, prostitution, thuggery, and theft — many of which have resulted in loss of life and destruction of property.
To strengthen enforcement, the governor has included members of the military, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in the operations of the new committee.
The committee has been granted a renewed mandate to clean up Maiduguri and its environs by eliminating criminal enclaves and restoring public order.
