The Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola has said that 11 mosques and four churches were demolished in the last two years in Borno state. According to him, this is contrary to the recent claims that only Churches were being demolished by the Borno State Geographical Information Service (BOGIS). “Our investigation has revealed that the land administration agency actually pulled down 11 mosques and four churches in the Maiduguri metropolis,” he said.
Akintola in a statement yesterday (Wednesday) in Maiduguri, disclosed: “We can authoritatively report that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, actually demolished 11 mosques and four churches in the metropolis,” stating that the demolition exercise commences from May 29, 2019 and August 5, 2021. “Our team visited each of the sites where the mosques were demolished, interviewed residents and gathered photographs and data that showed locations of each of the 11 demolished mosques. The demolitions were made by officials of the land agency for the alleged violation of purpose approved in residential titles.He noted that the demolition exercise was in compliance with the 2010 government white paper in response to the July, 2009 Boko Haram insurgency, which claimed many lives and property in the state. According to him, the white paper strictly prohibited the conversion of any residential house to a place of worship across the state. On the demolished mosques, he said: “Findings showed that two mosques were demolished by BOGIS on March 11, 2020, near Fato Sandi and behind the Works Department in Maiduguri. “The site of demolished mosque, is not far from the Shehu of Borno’s palace, who is next to the Sultan in the hierarchy of Nigeria’s leadership of the Muslim community. “The Shehu is the Vice President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). “Two mosques were also demolished by BOGIS on the same day (March 11, 2020), at the old Musami complex along Jos road in Maiduguri.
Continuing, he said: “Again, a mosque was demolished on the same day opposite the former NITEL. “Another mosque was demolished on April 15, 2020 along Kano Road, adjacent to the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), Bulumkutu. “Two mosques were again demolished. One near a hotel in Galadima along Ibrahim Kashim road, including the one behind the timber shade on Baga road.”
He said that the MURIC investigation team also discovered that five other mosques at the Customs Roundabout in the west side of Maiduguri/Bama road were also demolished on January 23, 2020 by the land agency. He said the mosques were demolished because of the alleged overriding public interest. “All the 11 mosques were demolished either for violating residential purposes in their allocation titles or for overriding public interest,” he said. He explained that of the 11 mosques demolished, five were for overriding public interest and six for violations of residential titles. According to him, the four demolished Churches (including the EYN) were strictly demolished for converting residential houses to churches the same way six mosques were demolished. He declared that the demolition exercises were in compliance with the 2010 white paper which is against the illegal conversion of places of worship to residential.
He therefore condemned the false propaganda flying around on this issue of concern. Akintola urged armchair critics to be more enterprising by making a phone call to Maiduguri residents to debunk the deliberate demolition of churches. He said that Zulum is an uncommon Governor making things work in an uncommon way; while his hand work appears alien. “It is satanic to attempt to bring down this wonderful performer via religious blackmail,” he said, stating that Zulum be allowed to concentrate on his good work for the people.
