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SOUTHERN BORNO STATE WHERE RELIGION AND ETHNICITY TEAR AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE APART.By:A.G.Abubakar
SOUTHERN BORNO STATE WHERE RELIGION AND ETHNICITY TEAR AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE APART.
By:A.G.Abubakar
The Ubuntu which is a Zulu philosophy of unity of purpose doesn’t seem to hold among the ethnic nationalities of Southern Borno. The philosophy is rendered as “Umuntu, Ngumuntu, Ngabuntu” which literally translates as “i am because we are”, or put differently to mean ” a person is a person through other people “. The import of both underscore the importace of unity of purpose among people in forging progress. This spirit of togetherness has but vanished among the people, as they pull in different directions, at a time they needed to turn the socioeconomic and political fortunes of the region around. No thanks, to ethno-religious factors and the inequitable manner succussive state governments treated the zone.
The present version of Borno State was created in 1991 after Yobe was curved out. Before then it was part of the defunct North Eastern State, comprising today’s Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Gombe and Yobe states. The North East State was highly diverse in terms of faiths and ethnicnationalities. Maiduguri, the then state capital was a laid back and accomodating metropolis. Non of the ethnic groups namely; Fulani, Hausa, Bachama, Mumuye, Tera, Mandara, Tangale, Marghi, Bolewa, Babur, Bura Chibok ,etc tried to lord it on each other.
The Kanuri power was diluted. Across the state too Muslims, Christians and the various ethnic groups that made up the state (NE) lived in peace with minimal distrust. People like Minso Gadzama, Azi Nyako, Bello Kirfi, Abubakar Umar, Maina Waziri, Ibrahim Biu, Gujbawu, Yerima Balla, Shehu Awak, etc were collectively united in moving the NE state forward.
A spirit that resonated with Borno state’s current mantra thus becoming the “Home of Peace and Hospitality”; a mantra, now turned on it’s head, so it seems. Three decades down the line Borno State had turned out to be one of the most inequitable in the Nigerian federation. The state as configured in 1991 gave the muslim Kanuri absolute dominance that literally made smaller ethnic groups and the Christian religion punching bags. With a reduced surface area the Kanuri is able to exert absolute political and economic control over the rest with impunity. This, they do through both tacit and overt policies including divide and rule along fault lines such as ethnic, religious differences and cultural affinity.
The overt discriminatory policies started with the late Musa Dagash’s circulars nos.CSC/2/89, Ref: BO/CSC/459/5.2/1 of 17th April 1989 and CSC/3/89, Ref:BO/CSC/459/S.15/5 of 21st April 1989 respectively. The import of the circulars was to place embargo on the recruitment and promotion of Southern Borno indigenes in the the Borno State service. Their crime was that they came from the wrong region, besides they were considered “too many” in the civil service which called for decimation. Dagash then was incharge of the State’s Civil Service Commission.
The discriminatory practice didn’t stop there, as successive governments in the state found it difficult to equitably include Southern Borno people in state nominations for Federal appointments. People from the zone have to struggle on their own or through friends to secure places. Nominations for appointments as ambassadors, Chairmen and/or board memberships are exclusive preserve of the Kanuri.The attrition or the blocking tactics didn’t end with appointive opportunities; this has been extended to religion especially the non Muslim folks. Government’s posture towards the non Muslim community in state has become a source of concern for lovers of the state and her future. Today, the state would find it expidient to train Arabic teachers but not CRK.
Government too could provide state resources in support of mosques/Islamiyya but did so minimally for non Muslim worship centers. And in matters of career progression, non Muslim folks in the state civil service are not having it easy, compared to their Muslim counterparts from the same South. These and many more are sure recipes for instability, given the centrality of religion and ethnic identity in the lives of our people. Unfortunately in their quest for redress the Christian faithfuls tend to elienate the very southern Borno Muslim brothers, they should ordinarily join hands with, through omissions or commissions. First they overlook historical realities. Realities of inter and intra ethnic interactions across Southern Borno and indeed the Kanuri nation. Second, Islamic values have a binding characteristics that shape perception among the faithfuls. They see themselves as one Ummah. Thus it becomes naive to expect equal levels of reaction or despair among the Muslim and Christian groups in Southern Borno regarding the government’s widespread inequalities.
For a fact, Muslims from the South may not be faring any better but the religion and cultural affinity have numbing effect, especially when they stretch far back in history. The relationships among some of the groups predate the 19th century Islam (in action) and Christianity in parts of Borno during the 1920s. Early Churches include the CBM established in Garkida and then Waka in 1927 under the defunct Borno province. was in 1923 and came to Waka in 1927.
It is therefore obvious that the feeling may not be the same in terms of intensity. In specific terms, the Marghi (Damboa), the Mandara, the Babur enclave of Babur-Bura, the Tera, and the Fulani (in their midst) may feel less grudge towards the Kanuri. Not so good a development but that is the reality. Realities that should be born in mind in building a united front in the South in checkmating the powers that be, from the continued exploitation of this fault lines. The reality of Southern Borno is not a black and white issue which calls for contextual appreciation of the challenges. Internal wrangling, name calling and aggression as a strategy can only be counterproductive. Referring to each other as being slaves to the status quo, sycophants, sell outs, ignorant, enemies of progress for not sharing a stand amounts to shooting oneself in the foot. Worse still, the defeatist attempt by some elite Christians to railroad Borno South into the Middle Belt region.
The frustrations may be justified or even palpable, but it’s a defective strategy. For, it will solve one problem especially the Christian faithfuls but constitute a new challenge for their Muslim brothers (the unwilling co-travellers) in the new environment in all its complexities. The way forward is for the christian South to appreciate its relative size which is about 15 to 20 percent of the state population. It can not therefore force its way through.
The faithfuls should engage and educate/ engage the ethnic minority and Muslim brothers to collectively rise against marginalisation and uneven development in Borno State. Building such a consensus however requires being realistic and open, away from wishful thinking and blackmail. The current posture by some to the effect that ” you are either with us or against us” doesn’t help much. Peculiar problems born out of injustice should be presented and treated as such; and brought into sharper focus and context.
The battle requires numbers and a critical mass as such everyone counts.The Muslim and the Christian, the informed and the uninformed, the wise and the foolish, the enlightened and the unenlightened, the educated and the uneducated, all have a place. The reality is, they are not only in the same boat but are facing the same storm! They will have to depend on each other to prevail. Let’s all come clean. agbarewa@gmail.com
SOUTHERN BORNO STATE WHERE RELIGION AND ETHNICITY TEAR AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE APART.
By:A.G.Abubakar
News
Zulum hits the ground running on Insecurity, vows to complete Ongoing Projects before leaving office
Zulum hits the ground running on Insecurity, vows to complete Ongoing Projects before leaving office
By: Bodunrin Kayode
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling the remaining security challenges in the state.
The Governor made this pledge yesterday during the first regular State Executive Council meeting of the year, 2026, held at the Council Chamber of the Government House in Maiduguri.
Addressing members of the cabinet and top government officials before the start of the meeting, Governor Zulum emphasised that 2026 would be a year of consolidation.
He noted that while relative peace has been restored in many parts of the state, the government will not relent in providing the needed security in all parts of Borno.
Beyond the security interventions, Zulum also explained that Government will focus on the resettlement of internally displaced persons by investing in medium- and long-term durable solutions to challenges on the ground.
He noted that his government will also ensure the timely completion of all ongoing developmental projects across the three senatorial zones of the state to cushion the dividends of democracy desirable for the people.
He added that his administration will strengthen the social protection net of residents stating that “social protection remains central to our agenda as we rebuild Borno for a better future.
” While we shall not relent in providing social amenities to the great people of the state, the need to provide social protection to our people cannot be overemphasised.” said Zulum.
The meeting was attended by Commissioners, the Secretary to Borno State Government, Bukar Tijani, Acting Chief of State, Dr Babagana Mallumbe, and other members of the executive council.
Borno state governments have spent over 16 years of their developmental years battling insurgency which has tremendously slowed down the entire machinery of social engineering which should have taken the state to a very high level of stability if there was no security Challenges on ground.
Zulum hits the ground running on Insecurity, vows to complete Ongoing Projects before leaving office
News
Rev. Dachomo accuses of Trump bias, vows to go to War
Rev. Dachomo accuses of Trump bias, vows to go to War
By: Zagazola Makama
The outspoken Christian cleric in Plateau State, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo has called for ‘WAR’ in the state and also blamed President Donald Trump for bias in deploying United States security asserts in the campaign against the genocide of Christians in Nigeria.
In a footage circulating on social media, the cleric who is the Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, made the call while addressing mourners at the burial of seven persons killed in a reprisal attack at Dorowa Babuje village in the local government.
“Rev. Dachoma was also heard declaring that residents would no longer “run away,” adding that if there was to be a “full-blown war,” they were prepared to defend themselves.
“We are not going to run away, if there will be full blown WAR it will start from today to the day that the God has placed for us. Let them continue to gather, we have chosen to die than to remain burying our brothers.
“My fellow brothers and sisters i am rounding this message so that we can go back and stay and go for war, since the Fulani said we will not rest in plateau, they are not afraid of the security from today we will not be afraid of the security.
The cleric further blamed the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Sultan of Sokoto of alleged bias in security arrangements affecting Plateau State and other Christian-dominated communities in Nigeria, saying, “
In a video circulating online, the cleric questioned the deployment of U.S military in muslims dominated northern regions and alleged neglect of Christian communities.
“We have chosen to die rather than continue burying our brothers,” he said, while calling on community members to remain resolute.
“When I invited Trump to Nigeria to come and help us, when Trump responded, their blueprint was that none of the soldiers of the United States should come to Plateau State,” he said.
“They directed their attention to Sokoto, where the Muslim-dominant area the Muslims are enjoying the coming of Trump.”
He continued: “If I were allowed to say Trump is in Nigeria to protect the Muslims… another batch is in Maiduguri, another batch were deployed in Kaduna and Bauchi. In Kwara, no batch is there. Rev. Dachomo further alleged that Christian communities were being neglected, stating: “The Yorubas were allowed to be killed like chicken. Benue, no army is there.”
He also made allegations against the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, accusing him sabotaging deployment of US forces.
“Why is it that he did not allow the American soldiers to come to Plateau State? They cornered them to please his people.”
The cleric alleged that insurgents who fled military operations elsewhere had relocated to Plateau communities. The insurgents that escaped from Sambisa and from Sokoto are right here in Manda, in Fars, in Okolindiri, Lingerie,” he claimed.

“It is from Lingerie that they came and killed those people, because the real training ground of terrorists is Lingerie.”
Rev. Dachomo also referenced the Sultan in his remarks, alleging what he described as a broader agenda against Christians. “That is Sultan road map to wipe out Plateau Christians and other Christians in Nigeria,” he said.
Despite his strong accusations, the cleric acknowledged the efforts of local security operatives in preventing greater casualties during the recent attack.
“This could have been more than 100 corpses, but God used the security to give us enough protection when they saw the security move quickly,” he said.
Also, Barrister Solomon, President of the Berom Youths, was also heard in a related video expressing the same threat against the existence of Fulani in plateau state. “We can no longer guarantee peace and security on the Plateau if Fulani continue grazing on our land.”he said.
Solomon declared that the Fulani should awaits their response. “Fulani you have taken credit, Fulani You have taken credits,”he said.
Meanwhile, in a subsequent clip, however, he appeared to temper his earlier tone, saying: “Even some security have tagged me for the comments we made yesterday. My life is not more precious than this city. “I will not incite any violence in Plateau, but we deserve to be protected. We deserve it.”he said.
“I’m using this opportunity to call on our people let’s remain calm. Let’s continue as law-abiding citizens. We are not praying for similar things to happen. We are not at war with anybody.”
“The hausa of the Yoruba, the Igbos, and any other person that comes to Plateau should have it at the back of his mind that he will settle peacefully.”
“A Plateau man has never been known for any act of terrorism. But the Fulani have declared war on us, and it is so unfortunate that some people are falling victims of circumstance.”
He also appealed to federal authorities, stating:
“We are calling on Mr. President and the security governor. Please sir, since having security in our domain cannot guarantee our safety, why will it not be relocated to where the bandits are settled? So we will then know when they will come to attack us.”
Zagazola Makama report that Plateau State has witnessed recurring communal and banditry-related violence over the years, with security agencies continuing operations to curb attacks in vulnerable communities.
Rev. Dachomo accuses of Trump bias, vows to go to War
News
Forensic Team Exhumes 105 Bodies in Probe of 2025 Yelwata Killings
Forensic Team Exhumes 105 Bodies in Probe of 2025 Yelwata Killings
By: Zagazola Makama
A team of federal medical pathologists has exhumed 105 bodies from mass graves in Yelwata community, Guma Local Government Area of Benue, as part of ongoing investigations into the June 13, 2025 attack on the area.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the team, led by Prof. Saad Ahmed from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abuja, arrived in Yelwata on Feb. 23, 2026, alongside operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja.
The sources said the delegation included members of the Presidential Medical Delegation and worked in collaboration with officials of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
According to the sources, locations of the graves were identified on the same day under adequate security provided by the Benue State Police Command.
The exhumation exercise commenced on Feb. 24, during which seven bodies were recovered.
The team continued the exercise on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26, exhuming additional remains, bringing the total number of corpses recovered to 105 from 13 mass graves located in and around Yelwata community.
The exercise was concluded on Feb. 26.
Police sources said the exhumation was conducted to facilitate forensic inquests and strengthen evidence in the ongoing prosecution of suspects linked to the killings.
“Seven corpses were initially exhumed by the IRT-led federal investigators for inquest. The exercise continued and further development will be communicated,” a security source said.
The deployment of forensic experts followed proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where nine suspects were arraigned on Feb. 2, 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik in connection with the Yelwata attack.
The court had emphasised the importance of forensic evidence to ensure a fair trial and proper determination of culpability.
Security officials said adequate measures were put in place to ensure the exercise was conducted peacefully and without disruption.
The June 13, 2025 attack on Yelwata community reportedly resulted in the deaths of several residents and displaced many others, prompting widespread condemnation and calls for justice.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had earlier commenced prosecution of suspects arrested in connection with the incident.
Authorities said further updates would be communicated as investigations progress.
Forensic Team Exhumes 105 Bodies in Probe of 2025 Yelwata Killings
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