In the wake of the Christmas celebration, the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum has urged the nation to resist any attempt to fuel religious disharmony in the state.
Zulum’s assertion was contained in a felicitation message issued on Christmas day in Maiduguri, Borno State, and shared via his X account.
According to his message, Borno State is plagued by security challenges void of religious undertones, but a situation where the perpetrators utilise extreme measures including killing to drive home their ideologies.
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He said, “The security challenges we faced affected us as citizens, regardless of our faith.
“Boko Haram insurgents attacked dozens of mosques and churches as well as communities, killing Muslims and Christians at various times.
“They rendered many of our brothers and sisters homeless across the north, south and central parts of Borno State.
“As Governor, I have on numerous occasions paid humanitarian and reconstruction visits to diverse communities of all faiths in the south, north and central parts of the state because the attacks by insurgents mostly did not take religion into account.
“Everyone who did not share the Boko Haram ideology was a target, regardless of whether the victim was a Muslim or Christian.
Having identified the purported root cause of insecurity in the state, Zulum said his administration has worked hard to rebuild and resettle communities with the consideration of fairness to the most affected portions of the 27 local government areas.
He added, “While the majority of citizens seem to appreciate all that we are achieving together, there are few amongst us, who in recent times are trying to undermine our core values and the religious tolerance that exist across Borno State.
“These few persons appear to ignore the truth that in Borno State, there are many families with a mixture of Muslim and Christian members, sometimes from the same parents, yet living together in harmony.
“These few people seem to forget our experiences and how we have tried to resist aggressors who wanted to tear us along religious lines.
“We must resist any attempt to divide us along religious lines, especially now that Borno is on the part of economic recovery, growth and development.
Zulum pledged his commitment to remain fair with the guiding principle of considering the urgency of humanitarian needs as they affect communities across the state.