Northern Governors Approve State Police, Order Six-Month Mining Suspension Amid Rising Insecurity

Northern governors have warned that the region risks “losing its future” to escalating insecurity and deepening poverty unless urgent, coordinated action is taken.

At a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Kaduna, the governors endorsed the creation of state police and recommended a six-month suspension of mining activities across the region.

Chairman of the Forum and Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said the north now faces “the grim reality of insecurity and poverty that seek to undermine our very existence.” He stressed that future generations would judge current leaders by whether they secured a safer region, not by the number of projects they commissioned.

The meeting drew 19 governors, traditional rulers, security chiefs and civil society groups in what participants described as a critical push for a coordinated response to terrorism, banditry and social decline.

Fresh Attacks Heighten Concerns

The call for urgent action came shortly after bandits abducted 11 people, including a nursing mother, in Tsamiya village, Shanono LGA of Kano State.

Fear also spread at Government Day Secondary School, Dutse, Abuja, when students mistook soldiers on routine security duty for kidnappers, triggering panic. School officials later clarified that the soldiers had been invited to maintain order during examinations.

Separately, the FCT police command said it foiled a planned mass abduction in Abuja after a gunfight in which three bandits were killed.

Ribadu: Abducted Niger Pupils “Will Return Soon”

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, during a visit to Kontagora, Niger State, assured families of pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic School that the children were “doing fine” and would be reunited with their families soon.

Governors Reaffirm Push for State Police

Reiterating the NSGF’s May 2025 resolution, the governors restated that state policing is “a critical and effective mechanism” for addressing today’s complex security threats. They urged the National Assembly to speed up the required constitutional amendments.

Traditional rulers were encouraged to use their influence to promote stability, while religious leaders were advised to avoid divisive rhetoric. Security agencies were urged to improve surveillance and maintain rapid-response systems.

In a joint declaration, the governors pledged to work with President Bola Tinubu to “ensure lasting peace and stability for our region and the nation at large.”

Gov Sani, Sultan Back Coordinated Action

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani urged leaders to “close ranks” and avoid politicising insecurity, warning that fear was being deliberately amplified by some opposition elements.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, assured the governors of full support, saying: “We are 100 per cent with you… we don’t have any other place to be.”

Experts Demand Stronger Implementation of Security Emergency

Security experts across northern states reacted to President Tinubu’s national security emergency declaration with mixed views. Some called for more decisive military action, better intelligence, drone surveillance, and stronger border protection. Others questioned the scope of the declaration, urging the federal government to pair security operations with socio-economic reforms.

Many insisted that the emergency must not dismantle democratic structures but must instead empower security agencies to target areas worst hit by banditry, terrorism and kidnappings.

Former DSS Director Ibrahim Katsina described the declaration as a “directional and long-overdue reform,” saying it strengthens the case for establishing state police and gives states more ownership of internal security.

Across the region, experts agreed that the success of the emergency declaration will depend on political will, sustained operations, and active community participation.

Opinion Nigeria News