Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno
State on Friday signed an agreement with 30 Saudi-based clerics who are
residing in the city of Makka, the seat of Islam’s holiest mosque, to endlessly
pray for the return of peace in Borno, a government statement said.
The governor, who has been in
Saudi Arabia since last week, had the agreement sealed with the 30 clerics
whose responsibility, henceforth is to offer prayers and perform daily tawaf
(circulation) around the holy Kaaba.
Muslims believe that prayers
offered in the holy mosque of Kaaba are speedily granted.
The North East state has been
tormented by Boko Haram insurgency since 2009. More than 20,000 people have
been killed by the terrorist group while millions have been displaced.
The Borno governor’s quest for
spiritual intervention in the unending conflict came days after the Nigeria
Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Butatai, declared that ending Boko Haram now more
requires spiritual intervention.
Some Nigerians ridiculed the
remarks, highlighting its contradiction to the government’s position that Boko
Haram has been defeated.
The governor’s spokesperson, Isa
Gusau, said all the 30 clerics are of Nigerian origin — from Borno, Katsina,
Zamfara, Kano and parts of the northwest — and have been living in Makka for
decades where they devoted themselves to prayers by spending hours at the
Ka’aba.
Mr. Gusau said, “An old man
amongst them is said to have remained a Ka’aba devotee in the last 40 years.”
“The Ka’aba is Islam’s holiest
area located inside the grand Al-Haram mosque in Makkah,” he said.
Mr. Gusau described the
governor’s action as a “critical move.”
He said the aim is ” to combine
different approaches that include sustained support for the Nigerian Armed
forces, aggressive mass recruitment and equipping of more counter-insurgency
volunteers into the Civilian JTF, hunters, and vigilantes as well as socioeconomic
approach in enhancing access to education, job opportunities and providing
other means of livelihood through social protection initiatives.”
Mr Gusau, who was present during
Governor Zulum’s brief interaction with the devotees on Friday evening around
the Ka’aba, said “the governor was there to convey his deepest gratitude and to
seek continued prayers. ”
“Rather than sending anyone, I am
here to, on behalf of the good people of Borno State thank you so much for your
empathy and the compassion in devoting yourselves to praying for us every day
at the Ka’aba which for us as Muslims, is the most sacred place ,” Mr Zulum was
quoted in the statement.
“We need these prayers more than
ever before. We are handling our problems from different approaches. Prayer is
key in everything that we seek. We will continue to seek prayers from many
fronts. We will keep supporting our clerics of different faiths in Nigeria for
the same prayers and we will seek the same from all of you that are always here
around the Holy Ka’aba.
“I basically will beg that you
continue to pray for us towards achieving three things: first, for us to regain
peace in Borno State, all of the north and Nigeria in general. We will have to
continue that prayer on a permanent basis because we need the peace that will
be sustained.
“Secondly, we need prayers for us
to achieve our ambitious plan for Borno state and lastly for Allah to make us
remain focused and not to get carried away by the power,” Governor Zulum told
the devotees.
The Governor returned to Nigeria
on Saturday.
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