- Bago dismissed the story as a mere imagination of state mischief-makers.
- Ibrahim Mohammed, the secretary of the State’s Liquor and Licensing Board, claimed that the board’s mandate is to regulate all liquor vendor activities.
On Wednesday, Niger State Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago disregarded the report-making round about the alleged alcohol ban in Suleja and eight other local government areas of the state.
In a statement he personally signed and provided to journalists who rejected Ibrahim Mohammed, the creator of the false report, Governor Bago ordered security services to detain and prosecute the impostor right away.
“The attention of the Niger State Government has been drawn to a report making the rounds of some blogs claiming that the Niger State Government, through the State’s Liquor and Licencing Board, has prohibited the sale of alcohol in nine local government areas of the state, including Suleja.
“We wish to state categorically that His Excellency, Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who has been busy initiating and overseeing many people-centred projects across the state, never issued such a directive.
“The Liquor and Licensing Board is yet to be constituted by the Governor; as such, no directive of this kind can come from a Board yet to be formed.
“In light of the above, His Excellency, the Farmer Governor, has directed security agents to arrest the self-appointed Secretary of this Board by the name Mohammed Ibrahim and to understand the motives of the imposter and the reasons behind the pronouncement.
“We invite the good public and our friends in the media to ignore any such pronouncements and to, henceforth, seek clarification from known government officials who are authorised to speak for the state and government,” he urged.
Recall that one Ibrahim Mohammed, who claimed to be the secretary of the State’s Liquor and licencing board, was quoted as saying: ‘The law establishing the board has the mandate to control the activities of all liquor vendors in the State.’
The report further stated that ‘Nine local government areas were on the first schedule of the prohibited areas, with Suleja among them, and as such, the board will ensure strict compliance with the law. We are calling on all vendors to abide by the relevant existing laws establishing the board.’
The statement added that beer joints that have previously done business within Minna, the state capital, would be served with ‘relocation letters to move outside the city to within an eight-kilometre radius of the post office in the state.’