A crucial security meeting of the 19 northern state governors has been postponed after the seven North-West governors convened a separate emergency session to address escalating threats in their zone.
The Northern Governors Forum had slated its wider regional meeting for November 29 in Kaduna, where leaders were expected to deliberate on the renewed surge of terrorist attacks ravaging parts of the North.
Communities in Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara have recently come under fresh waves of violent assaults, with rising kidnappings fuelling widespread anxiety and forcing calls for coordinated action.
TheCable understands that instead of proceeding to Kaduna, North-West governors broke away for a parallel engagement with the Senate committee on security, focusing specifically on the deepening threats confronting the zone. The session is aimed at strengthening collaboration between state governments and federal security agencies, improving intelligence-sharing, and fast-tracking operational responses to banditry and terrorism.
The postponement of the wider northern meeting comes only days after all 19 governors had announced plans to jointly craft a region-wide security strategy.
Peter Ahemba, senior special assistant on public affairs to Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, previously explained that the forum was designed to generate a unified and harmonised plan of action.
He noted that key traditional rulers had also been invited to participate.
“The meeting aims to develop a unified approach to tackling security concerns affecting the region and discuss the way forward on security matters,” he said.
“It is the duty of citizens to help deal with security threats in our country and state. Therefore, citizens must do well by providing security agencies with relevant information about individuals with criminal tendencies.”
The northern region has recently witnessed a troubling spike in kidnappings and killings, including two high-profile attacks targeting schoolchildren. While security agencies have intensified rescue operations, several abductees remain in captivity.
