Insecurity: Northern govs support state police, suspend mining

Group of Norther governors

*Warn region will collapse if... *Terrorists abduct nursing mother, 10 others in Kano *Panic at Abuja school as students mistake soldiers for kidnappers *Police foil planned mass kidnap attack in Abuja, kill 3 bandits *Abducted Niger schoolchildren are doing fine, will return soon - Ribadu *Tinubu must enforce emergency declaration on security — Experts

Northern governors havewarned that the region on the brink of losing its future to insecurity and deepening poverty, unless leaders took urgent, decisive action.

They also called for state police as a way out of the high level insecurity in the north, and asked for a 6-month ban on mining in the region.

This is even as Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, urged his peers and traditional rulers to close ranks and confront the region’s growing security threats with honesty and unity.

The governors spoke at a time residents of Tsamiya village in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State weekend came under attack again, as bandits abducted 11 persons, including a nursing mother.

This came as routine security operation at Government Day Secondary School, Dutse, Abuja, yesterday, nearly descended into chaos after some students misconstrued the arrival of soldiers as an attempted kidnapping, triggering panic across the premises.

This is even s the police command in Abuja weekend, successfully averted a planned mass abduction in a community within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, following credible intelligence and a coordinated tactical operation by the command’s anti-kidnapping unit, after three of the bandits were in a firefight between both parties.

To rekindle the hope of parents, the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, said on his visit to Kontagora, Niger State, yesterday, that the pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Agwarra LGA, were in good condition and would soon be reunited with their families.

Experts also pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to enforce the recent emergency he placed on security in the country, saying mere declaration was not enough to contain the high level insecurity in Nigeria

Speaking at a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, and Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Kaduna, Chairman of the Forum and Gombe State governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said the north was currently confronted with “the grim reality of insecurity and poverty that seek to undermine our very existence.”

The two-day meeting, held at Kaduna State Government House, drew 19 governors, traditional rulers, security chiefs and civil society representatives in what was described as a final push for a coordinated response to terrorism, banditry and social decay in the region.

Governor Yahaya said future generations would judge today’s leaders not by the number of projects they commissioned but by whether they were able to bequeath to them a northern Nigeria they could truly call home.

He paid tribute to President Bola Tinubu, commending his “strong leadership and steadfast commitment to Nigeria’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” especially in the rescue efforts for abducted schoolchildren.

The governor extended condolences to families of pupils abducted in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Kano, Niger and Sokoto states, as well as victims of recent Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe states..

He insisted that attacks on education were an assault on the region’s destiny.

Warning that insecurity spared no one, poor or rich, Muslim or Christian, Governor Yahaya sought an end to partisan bickering and a united stand to “ensure the very survival of the north and Nigeria at large.”

He also called for the rejection of divisive narratives, saying the crisis was driven not only by crime but also by underdevelopment, illiteracy, poor resource management, climate change and the abandonment of millions of Almajiri and out-of-school children.

Topping the agenda was a renewed call for the establishment of state police.

Reaffirming the May 10, 2025, communique of the NSGF, the governors said state policing remained “a critical and effective mechanism” to address today’s security challenges and urged the National Assembly to fast-track constitutional amendments required to make it a reality.

Traditional rulers were tasked to deploy their influence as “stabilisers,” while religious leaders were urged to preach tolerance and avoid incendiary rhetoric.

Political leaders, the forum warned, must desist from exploiting ethnic or religious differences for political gains.

Security agencies were equally encouraged to maintain proactive surveillance and timely responses, while the judiciary was called upon to ensure swift criminal justice delivery.

In a joint declaration, the governors pledged to work closely with the federal government, under President Tinubu, “to turn the tide and ensure lasting peace and stability for our region and the nation at large.”

Northern leaders must close ranks — Gov Sani

At the summit, Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, urged the northern governors and traditional rulers to close ranks and confront the region’s deepening security challenges with sincerity and collective resolve.

He commended the forum’s chairman for what he described as steady and courageous leadership, while paying tribute to traditional rulers for their stabilising role, saying their guidance remained critical in a region battling multiple threats.

Sani warned that despite progress, the north was witnessing a disturbing trend where insecurity was being politicised by some opposition elements “seeking to amplify fear and weaken public trust.”

He said:  “We must resist this behaviour and work together to address the security situation.  We have a President who understands the north, values the north, and consistently respects our perspectives.”

Reiterating his long-standing call for state police, Sani noted that Nigeria’s highly centralised policing structure was no longer effective for a country of over 230 million people with vast areas that remained difficult to secure.

He urged northern leaders to have frank conversations, embrace bold reforms and demonstrate the visionary leadership their people expected.

“History will remember the choices we make in moments like this,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, threw his weight behind the governors, urging them to intensify their efforts in tackling insecurity and socio-economic hardship.

“As leaders, we need to really tell ourselves the truth.  But I want to assure you, we are 100 per cent with you in this drive to make the north a better place because we don’t have any other place to be,’’ he said.

Sultan backs govs

The Sultan said the region was at a defining moment that demanded honesty, courage and unwavering collaboration among political and traditional leaders.

He said the meeting offered yet another chance to “deliberate seriously” on threats to the stability of the north and the unity of Nigeria, stressing that leaders must be truthful with one another and with citizens.

Terrorists abduct Nursing mother, other

Confirming the latest abduction in Kano State, chairman of Faruruwa community and environs security committee in Shanono LGA, Yahaya Bagobiri, who confirmed the development, said the bandits in their numbers stormed the village on Sunday evening and whisked away the victims.

Bagobiri complained bitterly about alleged failure of security personnel to foil the bandit’s attack, despite the fact that villagers got wind of movement of the bandits into the area and notified the personnel.

He said:  “Since about 7pm on Sunday evening, we got wind about the movement of the bandits into the community. We got information that they were spotted at Kogari, that they were moving closer and we notified the security agencies but they didn’t act because they were not given any order.

“The bandits abducted 11 persons, including a nursing mother. The 10 others abducted included three  men and seven youths,” Bagobiri said.

Spokesperson of  Kano State police command, CSP Abdullahi Haruna, could not be reached as his number was switched off at the time of filing this report.

The attack came barely hours after bandits invaded Yankamaye village in Tsanyanwa Local Government Area, killing a woman and abducted three other women.

Panic at Abuja school as Students mistake Soldiers for kidnappers

Similarly, a routine security operation at Government Day Secondary School, Dutse, Abuja, almost led to chaos yesterday after some students misconstrued the arrival of soldiers as an attempted kidnapping, triggering panic across the premises.

The confusion, which mirrors growing public anxiety amid recurring terror attacks across the country, came barely a week after pupils in Rukubi, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State also mistook a group of hunters for armed kidnappers.

A visit by Vanguard showed that many students were visibly unsettled, reflecting the heightened fear that now trail daily school activities in vulnerable communities.

According to school officials, the institution routinely invites police officers or soldiers to secure the school during major examinations, particularly on days general subjects, such as English, Mathematics, Biology, or Economics, are written, but on this occasion, the sight of soldiers sparked a misunderstanding.

Witnesses said a student, either as a result of mischief or genuine fear, misread the presence of the uniformed personnel and raised a false alarm, claiming bandits had stormed the school.

The rumour spread quickly, prompting a wave of panic as some students bolted in different directions and others attempted to scale the fence.

A senior administrative staff, who asked not to be named, dismissed speculation of an attack, insisting the incident was nothing more than a misunderstanding.

“Nothing happened today (yesterday), there were no kidnappers or kidnapping at the school but just soldiers,” the official said. The staff  added that the school was conducting major examinations and had invited security personnel as a precaution.

He added:  “Currently we are writing exams, and today (yesterday), we wrote two of our general papers, mathematics and economics, and as usual on days like this, tensions are high. So, we had to curb these children’s excesses by inviting security personnel for safety.

“This is the school rule to either engage the police or the army. So, we engaged the army and they came to man the gates for the exams to be peaceful.”

The official noted that the panic was fuelled by students’ tendency to amplify fears among themselves, saying “you know children, they can always incite tensions among themselves. So, one of them saw the army and said the insurgents are around and that was how they started running.

“Some attempted to jump the school fence, but it was the soldiers who told them to come back, but they didn’t run out of the school.  We wrote the exams, I even invigilated today and everyone left peacefully.”

The scare came just hours after the Federal Capital Territory police command disclosed that it had thwarted a planned large-scale kidnap operation within Abuja, following a string of recent abductions in ACO community, Gwagwalada, and Bwari.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said intelligence indicated that a criminal network intended to launch another attack on “a community” on or before December 1, 2025.

The police statement didn’t mention the name of the said “community”, a development that had also sent panic among some residents in the suburbs.

Police foil planned mass kidnap attack in Abuja, kill 3 bandits

Also, the police command in Abuja successfully averted a planned large-scale attack on a community within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, weekend, following credible intelligence and a coordinated tactical operation by the command’s anti-kidnapping unit.

The command said in a statement:  “This breakthrough follows recent kidnapping incidents recorded in ACO community, Gwagwalada, and Bwari, which prompted the Commissioner of Police, FCT command, to direct the anti-kidnapping unit to intensify efforts to dismantle the criminal syndicate responsible.

“Intelligence later revealed that the gang had concluded plans to launch another violent attack on a community on or before December 1, 2025, with the intention to abduct residents, demand ransom and inflict further harm on the community.

“Acting swiftly on this intelligence, FCT police operatives on November 30, 2025, at about 02:11pm, traced and arrested one of the key conspirators, a wanted kidnapper and armed robbery suspect named Sani Mohammed Umar a.k.a. Boko, and his mobile phone, suspected to be the primary device used in coordinating the criminal operations, was recovered from him.

“Investigations confirmed that the suspect belonged to the gang responsible for the previous attacks and kidnappings in ACO, Dupa and Gwagwalada, as well as multiple armed robbery incidents across Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali. 

“He also admitted that his gang members were waiting for him at Gada Biyu Hills, Kwali, where they had converged to commence their next planned community attack.

“At about 11:01pm, the anti-kidnapping team, led by the OC-Anti-Kidnapping, tactically advanced into the forest, reached the gang’s meeting point, and laid a well-planned ambush. 

“On sighting the operatives, the heavily armed bandits opened fire. The police responded decisively, engaging the criminals in a fierce 30 minute gun duel, during which three of the bandits were neutralised.

“Other gang members escaped with suspected gunshot wounds.  Items recovered from the scene include three AK-47 rifles, three magazine with 33 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.

“A joint operation involving Police operatives and the Forward Operation Base (FOB) of the Nigerian Army, 176 Battalion, Kwali, is ongoing, with teams combing the forest and blocking all escape routes.’’

Abducted Niger schoolchildren are doing fine, will return soon - Ribadu

In a similar development, Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, NSA, promised yesterday that pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Agwarra LGA of Niger State, would soon be reunited with their families.

Speaking during a solidarity visit to Bulus Yohanna, the Catholic bishop of Kontagora diocese and proprietor of the school, Ribadu reportedly said the children were doing fine and would be back soon.

“This is a very solemn and difficult moment for us, especially after hearing from some of the parents and all of you. However, we take responsibility because it is our duty to protect you.

“This is a directive from Mr. President, that we must come and visit you. Mr. President is in pain; he is in sorrow just like all of us. He stopped everything he was doing; he was supposed to travel but he suspended his journey,’’ a statement by the diocese quoted Ribadu as

The NSA noted that the government would no longer tolerate the activities of criminals terrorising Nigerians.

“Enough is enough. We will not be relentless in our efforts. We are all under attack. Let us not allow bad people to divide us; let us not allow evil to get into us,” he said.

Ribadu said international partners were rallying behind Nigeria in the fight against terrorism and banditry.

“Many good people from all over the world are coming to support us, including the United States of America.

“We appreciate everyone, especially European countries such as  France, the United Kingdom and a couple of others. The whole world is coming together to stop and defeat this evil which has been going on in Nigeria for two decades.”

Earlier in his remarks, Yohanna thanked President Bola Tinubu, after which they went into a closed door meeting that lasted about 30 minutes. 

Tinubu must enforce emergency declaration on security for it to succeed — Experts

Meanwhile, the declaration of emergency on insecurity in the country by President Bola Tinubu has drawn sharp reactions from a cross section of experts in the northern part of the country.

While many of the experts believe the president took the right action to save the situation, others claimed he missed the point by not removing political structures and calling in the military to run states seriously threatened by insecurity in the north as he recently did in Rivers State.

The split in opinions by security experts interviewed by our correspondents relate to the scope, implications and the extent to which the emergency can stem the worsening wave of killings, mass abductions, banditry and terrorism ravaging the northern part of the country where the situation is most critical.

Sokoto

A security expert in Sokoto State, Amadu Sokoto, said the President’s proclamation must go beyond symbolism and translate into concrete action, including rapid deployment of special forces to the most affected zones, a comprehensive overhaul of intelligence gathering through enhanced inter-agency cooperation, a robust technological upgrade such as drone surveillance and satellite monitoring.

Others are strengthened communication systems, clear rules of engagement empowering security forces to dismantle terror networks, disruption of financial supply lines sustaining terrorists and bandits, reinforcement of border security across the northern corridors, and the creation of special security zones where federal authority supersedes local structures, alongside immediate humanitarian assistance to displaced and vulnerable residents.

Sokoto, a retired military personnel, explained that the emergency would only be meaningful if it delivered visible, measurable and sustained reductions in attacks. He identified northern states requiring priority attention under the security emergency as those with the highest levels of violent attacks, mass abductions and terrorist activities, particularly in the northwestern axis.

On whether the emergency can reduce killings and kidnappings, he said the outcome would depend on political will and operational efficiency, noting that significant progress could be achieved if the government deployed overwhelming force to dismantle armed camps, disrupts weapon supply chains, strengthened actionable intelligence, enforced accountability among field commanders, eliminated corruption in security spending and complemented military action with socio-economic rehabilitation in affected communities.

Taraba

A security analyst in Taraba State, Ben Adaji, asked President Bola Tinubu to enforce the emergency declaration with a timeline of six months in states that appeared helpless while terrorists and bandits preyede on their citizens.

Adaji noted that the top military brass should be tasked to go on the offensive within this period, after which the emergency rule could be lifted.

He said if this was done, it would do a lot of good, as the principal responsibility of government remained the protection of lives and property.

He said: “I am of the opinion that governors of those states to be affected should vacate their seats temporarily and allow the military to oversee the affairs of government within the period of the emergency rule.

“It is no longer news that Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, and Borno States have remained ungovernable for months now due to constant attacks by the bandits. So, the military should be deployed to handle the affairs of the affected states.

“As I said, security matters of this nature should not be politicised, it should be handled militarily. I am optimistic the tensed security situation in those states would be reduced.”

Bauchi

In Bauchi, residents viewed the declaration as a necessary measure, but emphasised the need for effective implementation to address the underlying issues driving insecurity.

A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Duku, however, questioned the scope and clarity of the declaration, wondering if it would grant security agencies the necessary powers to act in a state, such as Bauchi, where schools had been shut due to threats by bandits.

Duku said: “I think while the president means well, he needs very sound security advisers around him, because the issue is not just about declaring emergency on security, the question is whether there is a holistic plan for clearing out these insurgents that are ravaging our land.

“Emergency may not be the ultimate solution, there are previous instances where it didn’t fully resolve security issues. There has to be a comprehensive approach, including addressing socio-economic challenges and improving governance.’’

Adamawa

A retired Army Officer, Colonel Clems Ekong, said the Presidential declaration on insecurity was a welcome development but observed that the problem would lie with implementation.

Ekong, now a security adviser to multi government agencies, said mere declaration of emergency on kidnapping, bandits and, what have you, in the entire central Nigeria and beyond needed holistic and military approach by the security agencies

He added that mere declaration of emergency would not and could never stop the senseless killings, kidnapping and mass abduction of school children in different parts of Nigeria.

A security expert in Kebbi State, Mamman Bashar, faulted the emergency declared by President Tinubu.

According to him, the emergency can only be declared when a country is at war and Nigeria is not at war but experiencing security challenges being unleashed by non-state actors allowed by the powers that be.

He noted that for the declaration to work, every structure of democratic governance should give way for the military to deal with the situation.

He maintained that no state in Nigeria was entirely controlled by armed groups, even in the affected states, adding that it was wrong for the president to declare emergency without taking steps to block the funding of armed groups and deal with the sponsors.

Niger State

Similarly, the Director, Media and Public Affairs Communication, Institute of Professional Security, IIPS, Dr. Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi, described the step taken by the president as one in the right direction.

Jabi argued that the declaration of emergency on insecurity was long overdue due to both internal and external pressures being mounted on the government, particularly by US President, Donald Trump,

Jabi said: “With the escalation of banditry, kidnappings, insecurity all over, the emergency should cover all states, especially the northern part where it is more pronounced.

“Surely, the declaration will reduce further escalation of insecurity across the country, especially that the president has given the service chiefs the marching order and also directed the immediate recruitment of 50,000 additional security personnel across the country. This will recapitalise and strengthen the security towards more efficiency and service delivery to the nation.

“Replicating the type of emergency declared on Rivers on the entire country cannot work because the circumstances are not the same. The situation that warranted state of emergency in Rivers State was politically-motivated and is not the same as we have in the north.’’

Kwara State

In Kwara State, security expert, Fabode Oluwafemi Moses, said no well-meaning leader would keep quiet while terrorists run amock in the country.

Fabode, however, said security agencies in Nigeria must be more technologically equipped to defeat the criminals who now threaten the country.

“ What I will just advise is that the federal government make sure they allow people to carry this single barrel, not prohibited forearms. Single barrels are guns that use cartridges, at least for everybody to be armed, in our own little way to protect the community.”

Plateau

In Plateau State, they agreed that President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a national emergency on insecurity was expected to trigger immediate, targeted actions to halt killings, mass abductions and banditry across the country.

A security analyst, Gregory Dauda, said the emergency should involve rapid deployment of personnel, decisive intelligence-led operations, drone surveillance, and reinforced protection of schools, highways and rural communities, and must also define clear legal boundaries, timelines and parliamentary oversight to avoid abuse.

“While the emergency may reduce attacks in the short term by increasing pressure on criminal networks, killings will not stop unless the measures are sustained and paired with community-based policing, local intelligence and accountability.”

Zamfara

In Zamfara, security experts threw their weights behind the president on the emergency declaration.

In an interview with Vanguard, a security expert, and former Director, Security Matters, Zamfara State and immediate past Commandant, Zamfara Anti-Thuggery, Mohammed Bello Bakyasuwa Soja, asked the government to take whatever steps necessary to defeat bandits and terrorists in the northern part of the country.

Benue

In Benue Retired Comptroller of Prisons and security expert, Chief Iorbee Ihagh, asked the federal government to ensure that the recently declared security emergency by President Bola Tinubu was directed strictly at states grappling with violent crimes, not dismantling democratic structures as seen in the case of Rivers State.

Speaking in Makurdi, Chief Ihagh said the emergency should focus on massive deployment of security personnel and military forces to the epicentres of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping.

He said: “Emergency on security is what I have been advocating over several months. It should be targeted at states that are recording very high rates of Boko Haram activities, kidnapping, banditry, killings and even genocide.”

Chief Ihagh listed states that should be prioritised under the emergency to include Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, Adamawa and Niger, among others, but insisted that the move must not undermine constitutional governance.

“We must state clearly that the security emergency does not require the dismantling of democratic structures in the states. What the President should do is to ensure massive deployment of security personnel and the military to these states to go after all those involved in the security breach and get them arrested without delay.”

According to him, Nigeria has the capacity to neutralise the criminal elements destabilising troubled communities.

“We know those behind these acts of criminality and banditry. As a nation, we should have the reach to get at them and ensure the return of peace in our country.”

Katsina

A former Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, and ex-Senior Special Adviser on Security to the immediate past governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Katsina, described President Bola Tinubu’s newly declared emergency on security as a “directional and long-overdue reform” that would finally allow states to take ownership of internal security and domesticate policing structures.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, Katsina said the President’s directive was one of the strongest signals yet that the federal government was ready to support community-based security systems and clear the way for the establishment of state police.

“The President has given clear, directional instructions. What remains is for the action agencies and state governments to apply the containment measures he has outlined,” he said.

Responding to concerns that the emergency rule may mirror the “Rivers State model” in which an elected governor was sidelined, Katsina dismissed the speculation, insisting the new directive was designed to strengthen governors, not weaken them.

Katsina noted that Tinubu’s order effectively ended the “one-size-fits-all” approach that has failed to curb banditry and terrorism, especially in the north-west and north-central.

Interpreting the President’s tone and directives, the former DSS director said the emergency declaration effectively placed the issue of state police squarely before the National Assembly.

“The National Assembly should take cognisance of this situation and start the process of establishing state police, as most states have been agitating,” he said.

Katsina expressed optimism that the declaration will reduce mass abductions and violent attacks if communities stop leaving all responsibilities to security agencies.

He said: “There is no country in the world where citizens stay aloof. We need neighbourhood checks. Watch your neighbour. If you see something, say something.”

Culled from Vanguard