The governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum has banned the sale of liquor, alcoholic contents in the State.
The governor, who announced the ban on Tuesday, attributed rising crime and anti-social vices in Maiduguri, the state capital and its environs to the involvement of military personnel and other security forces.
Zulum announced the ban during the inauguration of a newly reconstituted committee tasked with the “revocation of illegal hotels, brothels, shanties, and criminal hideouts and curbing the menace of antisocial vices.”
The event took place at the Council Chambers of the Government House in Maiduguri.
“I am happy to know that army officers are here, especially the military, police, and others are here because most of these activities were committed by whom? Some of them are dismissed army officers, dismissed security officers, current army officers, men and officers, including civilians,” The Nation quoted Zulum as saying.
He added, “So, there should be no sacred cow in this matter if we want the Maiduguri metropolis and indeed the state to get rid of insurgency, terrorism and other sorts of criminalities.”
Zulum accused both former and serving security personnel of fostering criminal behaviour, radicalism, prostitution, and other vices, which he said have exacerbated terrorism threats across the state.
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Empowering the committee with a renewed mandate, the governor emphasised the need to rid Maiduguri and its surroundings of criminal elements and social decay.
He explained that the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol was a response to the increasing prevalence of cultism, rival gang clashes, prostitution, drug abuse, thuggery, and theft, incidents that have resulted in significant loss of lives and property.
To bolster the committee’s efforts, Zulum included representatives from the military, police, civil defence corps, and the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in its operations.
With the liquor embargo and the demolition of hotels and infrastructures identified as harbouring criminal activities, it is yet to be seen if this decision will affect internal revenue in the state amidst the controversies surrounding the tax reform bill before the national assembly, which the Borno State Governor and notable leaders from the state have championed.
