Zulum declares fasting, prayers against Boko Haram sponsors, beneficiaries

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has asked residents and clerics to fast and pray against Boko Haram’s sponsors and beneficiaries today.

Zulum gave the directive while addressing the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai El-Kanemi, leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state and clerics in Maiduguri yesterday.

“We’ll continue to do whatever we can within limited resources and the laws of the land to stand firm in our fight against Boko Haram,” he said.

The governor said the monarch, CAN and others must always recognise that the state is facing a tough challenge.

According to him, the armed forces, police, hunters, vigilantes and others involved in the war against insurgency are facing enemies they don’t know.

Zulum said the insurgents wear military uniform to carry out attacks. He said: “I have been confronted with risks of moving around some areas, especially in Northern Borno. As a human being, father and husband, I, of course, do not seek harm for myself or anyone.”

The governor said as the meeting was being held in Maiduguri, there were more than a million homeless citizens living in camps in Monguno, Kala/Balge, Ngala, Dikwa and other parts of state.

He urged support for the armed fighting the insurgents in Sambisa forest and Lake Chad region by giving information about their activities to the security forces.

Zulum said the security forces, humanitarian aid workers and those who undertake reconstruction works in insurgency-affected communities deserved prayers.

The governor said the insurgency had claimed 36,000 lives, with property worth about N3.42 trillion destroyed in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.