Borno bans Shiites’ procession

The Borno state government has imposed a ban on all processions “under any guise, form, and whether by individuals, groups or organisations”.

Usman Shuwa, secretary to the state government (SSG), disclosed this in a statement, citing security reasons.

He said security agencies have been directed to fully enforce the ban, warning that any attempt at resisting it will be met with full force of the law.

“As part of efforts to ensure the sustainability of the current appreciable degree of peace and security in the state, the Borno state government, as part of its statutory obligations, has put in place a number of stringent measures to improve the situation and forestall any likely breach of law and order within the framework of extant security guidelines,” the statement read.

“One of such measures is that all processions, under any guise or form and whether by individuals, groups or organisations are hereby banned.

“The ban, which for now will be in place for an indefinite period of time, would be reviewed from time to time based on adequate security assessment and advice.

“Adequate security measures have been instituted to ensure sufficient surveillance and adequate monitoring of all major streets and public structures by security forces.”

On Saturday, the Borno state police command warned the group against embarking on its procession.

Borno’s ban comes after that of Kaduna and Kano. Members of the sect have been involved in clashes security agents.

Last week, an attempt by the police to disrupt the annual Araben procession of the group led to the loss of some lives in Kano. While the sect said 50 of its members were killed, the police put the death toll at eight, including an officer.