Governor Zulum Bans Alcohol In Borno State

…Accuses security personnel of promoting criminality

Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has announced a ban of the sale of liquor, alcoholic contents in the State.

Zulum, who announced the ban on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, while inaugurating the newly reconstituted committee tasked with the “revocation of illegal hotels, brothels, shanties, and criminal hideouts and curbing the menace of antisocial vices,” said if the state is to get rid of insurgency, terrorism and other sorts of criminalities, the ban on alcohol must be in place.

This was as he also attributed rising crime and anti-social vices in Maiduguri, the state capital and its environs to the involvement of military personnel and other security forces.

Zulum said; “I am happy to know that army officers are here, especially the military, police, and others are here because most of these activities were committed by whom? Some of them are dismissed army officers, dismissed security officers, current army officers, men and officers, including civilians.

“So, there should be no sacred cow in this matter, if we want the Maiduguri metropolis and indeed the state to get rid of insurgency, terrorism and other sorts of criminalities,” he said.

The governor also accused both former and serving security personnel of fostering criminal behaviour, radicalism, prostitution, and other vices, which he noted exacerbated terrorism threats across the state.

While empowering the committee with a renewed mandate, Zulum stressed the need to rid Maiduguri and its surroundings of criminal elements and social decay, adding that the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol was a response to the increasing prevalence of cultism, rival gang clashes, prostitution, drug abuse, thuggery, and theft, incidents that have resulted in significant loss of lives and property.

Members of the committee included representatives of the military, police, Civil Defence Corps, and the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in its operations.

With the ban on alcohol and the demolition of hotels and infrastructures identified as harbouring criminal activities, it is yet to be determined how it is going to affect the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state against the backdrop of the Tax Reforms Bills awaiting passage by the National Assembly, which the Borno State Governor and other stakeholders opposed.