EXTRA: Borno engages 30 clerics in Saudi to pray against Boko Haram

Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno state, has made an arrangement with 30 clerics in Saudi Arabia to offer prayers against Boko Haram insurgents. 

Isa Gusau, the governor’s spokesman, made this known on Saturday. 

Gusau explained that the 30 are residents of Mecca who will, on permanent basis, offer daily prayers for the return and sustenance of peace in Borno and the rest of Nigeria.

Gusau said the move “aims 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”.

The 30 persons, Gusau said, are Nigerians who are originally from Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano and parts of the northwest, and have devoted themselves over 10 years to spending hours at the Ka’aba everyday for the purpose of worship.

The Ka’aba is Islam’s holiest site located inside the Al-Haram ‎mosque in Mecca.

Zulum, who was in Mecca during the week to seal the arrangement, told the clerics that prayer is key in everything that his government seeks. 

“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,” he was quoted to have said. 

“We need these prayers more than ever before. We are handling our problem 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 permanent basis because we need 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 power.” 

The development comes one week after the Nigerian Army organised a seminar on using spiritual warfare to countering insurgency.