Adamawa State Government has refuted media publication that it has splashed N200 million on prayers to overcome Boko Haram insurgency.
A press release signed by Yohanna Mathias, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Muhammad Jibrilla said the publication misrepresented government efforts at mobilizing vigilantes as well as religious and community leaders for effective tackling of insecurity.
An agency report had quoted the Chief of Staff to the governor, Abdurrahman Abba who appeared on a radio programme, stating that government had earmarked N200 million to seek Allah’s intervention in the insecurity problem.ý The report had attracted several unfavorable comments on facebook, causing widespread outrage.
“The correct position of the matter is that government had evolved a community mobilization process intended to enhance peace and security in the state. This process includes the use of vigilantes, youth vanguards, religious leaders and security agencies domiciled within communities.
This process had been on-going for a long time. Community leaders had been mobilizing people to perform special prayers by both Christians and Muslims”, the statement said.
The statement further noted that the process had been in existence before the present administration, saying Jibrilla’s government only enhanced the process by paying more attention to intelligence gathering and reverse indoctrination.ý
“This involves formulating policies on flow of intelligence information and new messages to counter the doctrines of Boko Haram. In addition, government still bears responsibility for a number of intervention processes such as the Special Security Task Force known as ‘Operation Tsaro’. These are the areas that require some expenses for which the stated sum is projected to cover a period of six months”, the press release added.
