The Borno state Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum being worried by the renewed onslaught by the insurgents on Borno state citizens has engaged the services of 30 clerics to pray hard for the state for a divine intervention.
In a statement released by, Isa Gusau, the Governors spokesperson said the said 30 clerics were those based in Makkah, Saudi Arabia to intercede on behalf of the state which has been ravaged by Boko Haram for about decade.
The spokesperson revealed the governor agreed with the clerics being permanent residents to offer a daily ‘Dawaf” (circumambulation of the Holy Ka’abah) for the return of lasting peace to Borno state.
According to Gusau, the clerics though mostly Nigerians were natives of states like Borno, Kastina, Zamfara, Kano, and some other parts of the north western states, their mandate is to devote themselves for daily supplicating on behalf of Borno state at the holy land.
Gusau explained that an old man among them was said to have been a Ka’aba devotee for the last 40 years.
Ka’aba is Islam’s holiest place located inside the grand Al-Haram Mosque in Makkah.
The spokesperson further disclosed that the critical move was aimed at using a multidimensional approach of sustained support for the Nigerian Armed Force; aggressive mass recruitment and equipping of more counter-insurgency volunteers into the Civilian Joint Task Force, hunters and vigilantes as well as socio-economic approach to all combine to achieve the desired peace.
Governor Zulum was quoted saying, I beg you to continue to pray for us towards achieving three things: first, for us to return of peace to Borno State, the north and Nigeria at large. We will continue to pray on a permanent basis because we need peace to be sustained.
“Secondly; we need prayers so that we can achieve our Borno State ambition, and lastly for divine intervention so that we do not derail on our mandate though power intoxication.
Gusau added that the governor had returned to Nigeria on Saturday.