Insecurity: Northern Govs, traditional rulers back State Police, seek 6-month suspension of mining

.Urge region’s federal, state lawmakers to fast-track legislative process to actualise it.

.Levy each state, its LGAs ₦1 bn monthly to strengthen security operations

.Defence Minister, Badaru Abubakar resigns

.Ex-CDS, Christopher Musa meets Tinubu

Governors of the 19 Northern States and Chairmen of the region’s Traditional Councils on Monday met in Kaduna and announced far-reaching resolutions aimed at tackling the escalating security challenges confronting the North.

The meeting, held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, brought together the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council for what officials described as an “exhaustive and crucial” deliberation on issues affecting the region and the country at large.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Forum, Gov. Inuwa Yahaya, said the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to unity, stability and the collective development of the region.

The meeting also stressed that cooperation among states remained vital to addressing emerging threats.

The forum expressed condolences to the Governments and people of Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano States over the recent killings and abductions of schoolchildren and other citizens.

Similar sympathies were extended to the victims of Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe.

The governors commended President Bola Tinubu for efforts that led to the safe and swift rescue of some abducted children and for the Federal Government’s ongoing response to insecurity.

They also hailed the sacrifices of the security personnel engaged in counter-insurgency operations nationwide.

The forum also pledged renewed support for actions taken by the President to intensify military operations against insurgents and criminal elements in their hideouts.

In one of its major resolutions, the forum reiterated full support for the establishment of State Police and urged federal and state lawmakers from the region to fast-track the legislative process required to actualise it.

The governors also identified illegal mining as a key driver of insecurity and recommended that the president direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to suspend mining activities for six months.

The suspension, they said, would allow for a comprehensive audit and revalidation of all mining licences in consultation with state governments.

According to the forum, as part of broader security reforms, it approved the creation of a Regional Security Trust Fund.

Each state and its local governments will contribute ₦1 billion monthly to be deducted at source under an agreed framework to strengthen security operations across the North.

The forum said it would reconvene at a later date to be communicated.

Meanwhile, insecurity, climate change and the growing Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis dominated discussions on Monday as the Northern Governors and traditional rulers opened a crucial joint meeting in Kaduna.

The Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, who delivered the keynote address at the event held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.

He said the region was facing an “existential threat” fuelled by terrorism, extreme poverty, environmental degradation and worsening social vulnerabilities.

Yahaya said the recent abductions of schoolchildren in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Kano, Niger and Sokoto  as well as renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe, had again exposed the fragility of security in the region.

He, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for the prompt rescue of some victims but insisted that education must never be surrendered to terrorists.

“An attack on education is a direct assault on our future.

“Terrorists target our schools and farms because they want to cripple the tools that empower our youths.

“We must work with the Federal Government, security agencies and international partners to secure our children and protect livelihoods,” Yahaya said.

The Governor warned that insecurity had grown beyond local banditry to a national emergency threatening the survival of the North and Nigeria.

“This menace spares no one the poor and the rich, Muslims and Christians, the young and the old.

“Without peace and security, there will be no politics to play and no state to govern,” he added.

Yahaya linked the region’s growing instability to “deep seated underdevelopment, illiteracy, lack of opportunities and the intensifying effects of climate change.

These, he said, were fueling conflicts over land, water and other dwindling resources.

Yahaya said this informed the decision to place the Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis at the top of the forum’s agenda.

“The reality of millions of Northern children roaming the streets instead of being in classrooms is unacceptable and a stain on our conscience.“We must move beyond rhetoric and take coordinated actions to put every child in school,” the governor said.

The NSGF Chairman reiterated the forum’s firm support for the introduction of state policing, describing it as a critical tool for addressing widespread insecurity.

He welcomed Tinubu’s recent directive to the National Assembly to create the necessary constitutional framework, urging the lawmakers to give the reform top priority.

Yahaya said sustainable peace would require cooperation among political, religious and traditional leaders, stressing that traditional rulers must continue to act as stabilisers, while religious leaders must promote tolerance.

Earlier, Gov. Uba Sani, who hosted the meeting, urged the participants to recommit to rebuilding a stable and economically vibrant North.

He stated that the current centralised policing structure could no longer protect a country of over 230 million citizens and vast ungoverned spaces.

“We must reclaim the narrative of the North from those who trade in fear. Our people deserve stability, opportunity and hope,” he said.

Also speaking on behalf of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, expressed full support for the governors’ position, saying traditional rulers stood “100 per cent behind” the push for peace and unity in the region.

He urged the governors to work harder, listen to constructive criticisms and sustain inter state cooperation, adding that there was “only one North,” and all leaders must act with a common voice.

“We have no other place to call home. Whatever it takes to bring peace and stability to the North and Nigeria, we will do it,” Abubukar said.

The meeting is expected to go into a closed session to deliberate on security reforms, climate adaptation strategies, education initiatives, and the operationalisation of state policing.

.Defence Minister, Badaru Abubakar resigns

Nigeria’s defence minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned his appointment, with immediate effect.

In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said he was quitting on health grounds.

This is contained in a statement issued Monday by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.

He said President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation.

Tinubu will likely inform the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week, he added.

Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023.He was appointed as a minister on August 21,  2023, by President Tinubu.

His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course.

‎.Ex-CDS, Christopher Musa meets Tinubu

‎Also, President Bola Tinubu on Monday met with the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, at the State House, Abuja.

‎The visit was Musa’s first public appearance at the Villa since his retirement by President Tinubu on Oct. 24.

‎The details of their closed-door engagement were not disclosed.

‎Musa served as Chief of Defence Staff from June 23, 2023, until his retirement on Oct. 24.

‎The meeting comes as the nation grapples with heightened insecurity, with the President recently declaring a national security emergency.

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