By Muhammad Mamman
A high-profile security summit involving all 19 northern Nigerian governors has been postponed after seven governors from the North-West opted to attend a parallel dialogue with the Senate Committee on Security, officials confirmed.
The meeting of the Northern Governors Forum (NGF), slated for 29 November in Kaduna, was expected to chart a unified strategy against escalating terrorist attacks, banditry and mass kidnappings across the region — particularly in Niger, Kebbi and Kwara states.
But with security pressures mounting in the North-West, governors from the zone chose instead to engage federal lawmakers in what insiders described as an urgent security dialogue focused on strengthening intelligence-sharing and improving rapid-response capabilities between state authorities and national security agencies.
Peter Ahemba, senior special assistant on public affairs to Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, had earlier publicised the Kaduna summit as a crucial platform for developing a shared security roadmap. Traditional leaders were also due to attend, in what many expected would be one of the region’s most consequential security deliberations this year.
“The meeting aims to develop a unified approach to tackling security concerns affecting the region and discuss the way forward on security matters,” Ahemba said before the postponement. He urged citizens to play their part, adding: “It is the duty of citizens to help deal with security threats… by providing security agencies with relevant information about individuals with criminal tendencies.”
No new date has been announced for the regional summit, but officials say consultations are underway to ensure all governors can attend — a sign of the political and security complexities confronting northern Nigeria as violence continues to surge.
