Northern governors have issued their strongest warning yet, stating that the region risks losing its future to rising insecurity and deepening poverty unless leaders act with urgency and unity. Speaking at a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Kaduna, they renewed the call for state police and proposed a six-month suspension of mining to curb the activities of criminal groups exploiting rural communities.
Key Highlights:
Northern governors warn that insecurity and poverty threaten the region’s survival and urge urgent coordinated action.
The leaders demand state police and a temporary ban on mining to disrupt criminal networks.
Kaduna’s governor calls for unity among governors and traditional rulers, warning against politicising security challenges.
Traditional rulers back the governors and call for honest leadership and stronger community engagement.
Fresh bandit attacks in Kano and averted kidnappings in the FCT underline the severity of the crisis.
The NSA says abducted pupils and teachers in Niger State are safe and will soon be reunited with their families.
Gombe State governor and chairman of the forum, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, told the gathering that the north faced a “grim reality” that threatened its very existence. He warned that future generations would judge current leaders not by projects commissioned but by whether they succeeded in securing a region where children could live and learn without fear. He also praised President Bola Tinubu for his efforts in recent rescue operations and extended condolences to families affected by recent kidnappings and insurgent attacks.
Yahaya said insecurity had become a threat that spared no one, whether rich or poor, and called for regional unity to protect the north and preserve Nigeria’s stability. He urged leaders to confront deeper causes of the crisis, including underdevelopment, illiteracy and the neglect of millions of out-of-school children. He stressed that attacks on education were direct attacks on the region’s destiny.
The meeting drew nineteen governors, traditional rulers, military chiefs and civil society groups. At the centre of the discussions was the renewed push for state police, which the governors described as the most practical tool for addressing today’s complex security threats. They asked the National Assembly to speed up constitutional amendments required to create the structure. They also appealed to religious leaders to preach tolerance and cautioned political actors against inflaming ethnic or religious tensions for advantage.
Kaduna State governor Uba Sani urged northern leaders to “close ranks” and speak with one voice. He warned that some political actors were trying to weaponise insecurity to score points and stressed the need to resist such behaviour. He argued that Nigeria’s centralised police system was no longer adequate for a country of its size and population. He called for honest conversations and bold reforms, noting that history would remember the decisions made in moments of crisis.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, speaking for the traditional rulers, backed the governors and urged them to intensify efforts to confront threats facing the region. He said they remained fully committed to supporting policies aimed at securing the north, adding that leaders must continue to be truthful with one another.
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While leaders met in Kaduna, the vulnerability of rural communities again came to the fore. In Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, bandits attacked Tsamiya village and abducted eleven people, including a nursing mother. The chairman of the local security committee criticised what he described as the failure of security personnel to act despite receiving warnings from residents.
In Abuja, panic broke out at Government Day Secondary School, Dutse, after students misinterpreted the presence of soldiers during a routine exercise. The incident came as police in the FCT said they had foiled an attempted mass abduction following a coordinated operation by the anti-kidnapping unit.
In Niger State, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, visited Kontagora and assured families that pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic School were alive and in good condition.
Security experts have urged President Tinubu to fully enforce the national security emergency declared earlier in the year, arguing that speeches alone cannot halt the escalating violence.
