Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, on Tuesday announced a total ban on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the state capital and surrounding areas, citing escalating insecurity and social vices.

At the inauguration of a reconstituted committee tasked with the revocation of illegal hotels, brothels, and criminal hideouts, Governor Zulum directly accused current and former security personnel of contributing to criminality and antisocial behaviour in the state.

“Most of these activities were committed by… dismissed army officers, dismissed security officers, current army officers, men and officers, including civilians,” Zulum stated at the Government House council chambers in Maiduguri.

He emphasized that there should be “no sacred cows” in the renewed effort to cleanse the city of insurgency-linked threats, vices, and lawlessness.

The reconstituted committee, now empowered with broader authority, includes personnel from the Nigerian Army, Police, Civil Defence, and the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), among others. Its mission is to clamp down on criminal hotspots and enforce the governor’s new directives.

Alcohol Ban Linked to Rising Violence

Governor Zulum justified the alcohol embargo as a response to the rise in cult-related violence, drug abuse, prostitution, theft, and clashes between rival groups, which he says have led to the loss of lives and property.

“If we want the Maiduguri metropolis and indeed the state to get rid of insurgency, terrorism and other sorts of criminalities, we must act decisively,” Zulum said.

The committee’s immediate tasks will include demolishing identified illegal structures—including hotels, shanties, and brothels—that serve as criminal hideouts.