Northern governors and traditional rulers
Northern govs, rulers declare security crisis “grave threat” to region’s future, demand state police
In a stark and urgent warning, governors and traditional rulers from Northern Nigeria have declared the region’s future is under “grave threat” from escalating insecurity and deepening poverty.
They insist that only immediate constitutional reforms—especially the creation of State Police—can reverse the crisis.
The emergency joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council was held on Monday in Kaduna. It brought together all 19 northern governors, key traditional leaders led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, and security chiefs to align a regional response to rampant banditry, terrorism, and social decay.
Chairman of the Forum and Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, set a sobering tone, stating the region faces a “grim reality” that jeopardizes its very existence.
He asserted that history will judge current leaders not by commissioned projects, but by whether they secured a viable homeland for future generations.
“This wave of criminality spares no one—poor or rich, Muslim or Christian,” Yahaya emphasized, calling for an end to partisan politics in the face of a common survival threat.
Central to the agenda was a renewed and forceful push for decentralized policing. The leaders reaffirmed their stance that the federal police system is overstretched and ineffective against the North’s complex security challenges.
They labeled State Police a “critical and effective mechanism” for local security and urged the National Assembly to fast-track the necessary constitutional amendments.
Recognizing that military action alone is insufficient, the Forum linked the insecurity to profound socio-economic issues: underdevelopment, mass illiteracy, poor resource management, and the plight of millions of Almajiri and out-of-school children.
The damaging effects of climate change on the North’s agrarian economy were also highlighted.
The gathering called on traditional rulers to be pillars of stability and urged religious leaders to promote tolerance, avoiding rhetoric that could inflame ethnic or religious tensions.
While expressing grave concerns, the governors commended President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity and specifically praised recent rescues of abducted schoolchildren.
Governor Yahaya extended condolences to families of victims from kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Kano, Niger, and Sokoto, as well as recent Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe, stating,
“Attacks on education are an assault on the bedrock of our children’s future.”
Hosted by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, the meeting concluded with a commitment to strengthen cooperation with the Federal Government.
Leaders resolved to pursue a coordinated regional strategy that combines security operations with judicial efficiency, social welfare reforms, and a rejection of divisive narratives.
A detailed communiqué is expected to follow.
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