Northern Leaders Meet in Kaduna Over Rising Insecurity.
Northern Nigeria’s governors and traditional rulers convened yesterday in Northern States Governors’ Forum House at the Government House in Kaduna in an emergency session to address a surge in insecurity across the region. In attendance were governors from states including Uba Sani of Kaduna, Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Abubakar Sani Bago of Niger, Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, among others, with some attending via deputies. Representatives of other northern states also took part. Traditional rulers, including Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, lent moral weight to the gathering. The session was prompted by a drastic rise in kidnappings, banditry, terror attacks and violent clashes, especially kidnappings of schoolchildren, mass raids on rural and semi urban communities, and fresh waves of violence tied to armed gangs. State leaders voiced deep concern that insecurity now threatens not only lives but also education, livelihoods, and the social cohesion of entire communities. At the heart of the discussion was a renewed push for structural security reforms. The governors reaffirmed demand for the creation of state level police forces, a measure they say is critical to building a responsive, region specific security framework able to react swiftly to local threats. They also called for enhanced coordination between federal and state security agencies, expansion of community based surveillance, and integration of traditional rulers and community leaders into early warning and peace building mechanisms. The chairman of the forum, Inuwa Yahaya, issued a stern warning, saying the future of the North can not be secured if leaders fail to act decisively. The Sultan of Sokoto added his voice, urging governors to remain open to criticism and responsiveness to the people, a reminder that legitimacy and trust are as vital as force. No full communiqué has yet been released, but observers expect the meeting to lead to concrete proposals: legislative moves to enable state policing, institutionalizing the role of traditional rulers in security councils, strengthening local security networks, and coordination for protection of schools and vulnerable communities. The coming days will reveal whether these promises translate into real-world action.
| 2025-12-02 19:22:26