Deborah Tolu Kolawole, Nathaniel Shaibu, Collins Agwam, Hussaini Ibrahim, Umar Sani, Chima Azubuike, Animasahun Salman, James Abraham, Isah Ojo, Patrick Odey, James Abraham and Ademola Adegbite
BY GODWIN OBI
Amid the worsening security crisis in the North, the 19 Northern governors have scheduled an emergency meeting for November 29, 2025, in Kaduna State. The summit comes days after South-West governors met in Ibadan, where they renewed calls for the creation of state police to tackle growing bandit attacks.
Confirming the planned meeting, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Peter Ahemba, told FRONTLINE REPORTERS in Lafia on Monday that concerns were heightening following the closure of several schools across the region.
Ahemba said the Northern governors would focus on concrete strategies to curb kidnapping, banditry and other security threats plaguing the region. He noted that the North has suffered a recent surge in school attacks, prompting some state governments to order temporary shutdowns.
Last week, armed men invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, abducting at least 24 schoolgirls and killing the vice principal. Days later, gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, taking over 300 students and staff, though 50 managed to escape.
Speaking further, Ahemba explained that Governor Sule, who chairs the North Central Governors Forum, cut short his trip to the G20 Summit in South Africa to address emerging threats. He added that the governor convened an emergency security meeting on Monday to strengthen surveillance, boost security response capacity and prevent further escalations.
According to him, “The government is on red alert, and security agencies are fully mobilised to respond swiftly to any threat.”
Meanwhile, the South-West governors, after their own security meeting in Ibadan, urged the Federal Government to intensify operations across the region’s vast forest belts, which have become hideouts for criminals. Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) attended, while Osun State was represented by the deputy governor.
Reading the communique, Sanwo-Olu reaffirmed the region’s demand for the establishment of state police, insisting that “the time is now and it can no longer be delayed.” The governors also commended President Bola Tinubu’s efforts on national security and recent rescue operations in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger states.
The forum further announced the establishment of a South-West Security Fund to be managed by the DAWN Commission and the security advisers of all six states, as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard lives and property across the region.isers on Security of all South West States.
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2025-11-24