Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has announced a total ban on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the state, citing rising criminality, immorality, and the alleged complicity of some security personnel in encouraging antisocial behaviour.
Channels TV reports that the Governor said that ex and current serving personnel of the Nigerian security forces have played a significant role in influencing the civilian populace into criminality, radicalism, pr0stitution and other vices, heightening terrorism threats in the state.
The governor said this on Tuesday at the inauguration of a reconstituted committee on “revocation of illegal hotels, brothels, shanties, and criminal hideouts and curbing the menace of antisocial vices” 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.
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 said.
The ban on sales and consumption of liquor and alcoholic contents, according to the governor, stems from the rising cases of clashes among rival groups, cultism, pr0stitution, drug abuse, thuggery and theft, which have led to loss of lives and valuables.
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.