By Muhammad Mamman
Northern Nigeria’s political and traditional elites have declared a sweeping security overhaul after a high-stakes emergency meeting in Kaduna, unveiling drastic measures they say are necessary to stem the region’s spiralling insecurity.
The joint session — bringing together the 19 Northern Governors and members of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council — convened at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House and ended with a hard-hitting communiqué calling for what they described as “collective, decisive and extraordinary action.”
Six-Month Mining Shutdown
In its most far-reaching directive, the Forum demanded an immediate six-month suspension of all mining activities across the North, warning that illegal mining has become a major engine of banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping.
The governors urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the Minister of Solid Minerals to halt all exploration activities and revalidate every existing mining licence — but only after full consultations with state governments.
They said illegal and artisanal mining networks must be dismantled to cut off criminal financing and logistics.
₦1bn Monthly Regional Security Fund
The Forum also approved the creation of a Northern Regional Security Trust Fund, with each state and its local governments contributing ₦1 billion monthly, deducted at source.
According to the communiqué, the fund will serve as a dedicated financial firewall for joint security operations, training, equipment and intelligence. A technical team has been tasked to finalise the framework.
Full-Throated Support for State Police
In a significant shift, the governors and traditional rulers threw their “wholehearted support” behind the creation of state police — a move long resisted by some northern leaders.
They urged federal and state lawmakers from the region to accelerate the constitutional amendments required to establish the decentralised policing system.
Backing Tinubu’s Security Campaign
The leaders praised President Tinubu for the rescue of abducted schoolchildren in recent incidents, applauding what they described as the sacrifices of the armed forces.
They pledged “renewed and total support” for any intensified military campaign aimed at dismantling insurgent hideouts and ending the cycle of terror and banditry.
Condolences Across the Region
The communiqué conveyed deep sympathies to the governments and people of Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Borno, and Yobe, all of which have suffered recent killings, mass abductions, and Boko Haram attacks.
‘Unity, Cooperation and Peer Review’
The leaders stressed that only coordinated, region-wide action can reverse the security collapse, pledging to carry out their constitutional duties with “firmness and clarity.”
A follow-up joint meeting will be held in the coming weeks to assess progress on the implementation of these resolutions.
