Northern governors in Nigeria have agreed to contribute ₦1bn each every month for the next year as part of a new regional strategy to combat worsening insecurity.
The decision was announced by Nasarawa State governor Abdullahi Sule during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
He said the governors could no longer depend solely on the Federal Government and must now “take responsibility” for improving security across the North.
“You know, that is ₦19bn every month until we are able to achieve results,” he said. “We are going to introduce technology, recruit and train vigilante groups, provide equipment, logistics, and everything required.”
Recall that recent months have seen a significant rise in mass abductions and attacks, mostly targeting schools and rural communities, driving fear and instability across the northern and central regions.
In one of the most alarming cases this year, gunmen abducted more than 300 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State. Although some have escaped, many remain missing and families continue to wait anxiously for news.
Earlier, assailants from an armed gang raided a girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State, abducting at least 25 female students and killing the school’s vice principal.
Reports suggest that over the past year (July 2024 – June 2025), more than 4,700 people nationwide were abducted in 997 recorded incidents, with northern states especially the Northwest bearing the brunt of these attacks.
This wave of kidnappings, often carried out by armed “bandit” groups or militant networks, has displaced many communities, forced school closures, and traumatised thousands of Nigerians.
Sule explained that the decision followed a meeting between the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Leaders Council in Kaduna, where leaders discussed the growing link between illegal mining and insecurity.
He said the governors had agreed to ask President Bola Tinubu to temporarily halt all mining activities in the region until the Federal Government completes a thorough verification of mining licences.
“Many licences are exploration licences, but people begin full mining immediately,” Sule said. “That’s where illegal mining comes in, and illegal mining sites usually attract criminal activity.”
He added that former Plateau State government secretary Ezekiel Gomos had been appointed Director-General to lead the new security initiative.
Responding to criticisms that northern leaders have failed to stop kidnappings and banditry, Sule said many comments were made “out of anger” and did not reflect the constant pressure governors face.
“You can’t run a government based on what people say on the streets,” he said. “Everyone is worried, and we are all doing our best.”
He noted that kidnapping was once concentrated in Nigeria’s oil-producing South-South region between 2003 and 2009 but gradually spread to the North. He expressed confidence that the problem would also decline over time.
Sule further confirmed that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had agreed to support a bill seeking special seats for women in the National Assembly.
He highlighted Nasarawa’s own appointments of women to top positions, including the state’s first female vice-chancellor and first female chief judge.
On infrastructure, he announced that Nasarawa had secured Federal Government approval to construct the Nyanya Mararaba road with flyovers. The project, expected to cost about ₦40bn, has already received a ₦19bn deposit.
He said construction could be completed in 12 to 14 months, earlier than the official timeline.