By Muhammad Mamman
– Bola Tinubu has pledged federal backing to combat escalating insecurity in Bauchi State after receiving a detailed security briefing from Governor Bala Mohammed at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The closed-door meeting on Friday focused on a surge in banditry in Alkaleri Local Government Area, where authorities say thousands of heavily armed fighters have overrun forested territories, displacing residents and launching deadly attacks on rural communities.
Governor Mohammed said more than 10,000 bandits had reportedly occupied ungoverned forest areas, carrying out sporadic assaults on villages including Gwana, Kafin Duguri, Mansur, Yalau, Futuk and Digare. He warned that the fighters were recruiting locals and former illegal miners, further entrenching their presence and forcing many residents to flee to neighbouring Gombe State.
Among the recent incidents was a February 22 attack on a Joint Task Force base in Gwana that left two soldiers and a vigilante dead. Several community members were abducted, while security forces reportedly neutralised a number of the attackers.
The governor, who has visited affected communities in recent days, commended local vigilantes and residents for what he described as their resilience, but stressed that state efforts alone were insufficient.
“We need sustained federal intervention – stronger military deployments, enhanced police operations, modern equipment and clear directives to security chiefs,” he said, according to officials familiar with the meeting.
The president’s response was described by the governor as “positive and reassuring”, with assurances that federal authorities would complement state operations to prevent further incursions and restore stability in the troubled areas. Directives have already been issued to strengthen security deployments, the governor added.
The meeting comes amid heightened political speculation following recent defections of some governors from the opposition People’s Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress. Mohammed dismissed suggestions that his visit was politically motivated, insisting it was strictly security-related.
He reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP, while noting that political actors remain free to determine their affiliations.
Bauchi, like several states in Nigeria’s north, has grappled with persistent banditry, kidnapping and attacks on security installations, underscoring the mounting pressure on federal and state authorities to deliver a decisive response.
