Northern Governors, Monarchs Hold Emergency Meeting Over Rising Insecurity

The Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Leaders Council, on Monday, converged on Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, for an emergency meeting amid escalating security crises across the region.

The closed-door session is jointly chaired by the Forum’s Chairman and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, alongside the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, who leads the traditional institution.

Sources said the deliberations are focused almost entirely on the surge in bandit attacks, terrorism, kidnapping, and recurring farmer-herder clashes, which have claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands in recent months.

A senior official familiar with the meeting described the situation as “deeply alarming,” stressing that leaders are under pressure to adopt a coordinated regional security response.

The meeting comes as insecurity in the North reaches what many stakeholders have described as “a frightening dimension.”

In Kebbi State, at least 24 schoolgirls were abducted by bandits, though they reportedly regained their freedom days later.

Similarly, in Niger State, no fewer than 200 schoolchildren were seized from a Catholic private school, sparking nationwide outrage. About 50 of the victims escaped and have since been reunited with their families.

Security analysts say the string of recent abductions underscores the urgency for a unified approach.
“Northern leaders can no longer operate in silos. The region needs a single, cohesive security strategy,” one expert noted.

The Forum is expected to issue a communiqué at the end of the meeting.