Northern Governors Convene Emergency Security Summit as School Attacks Escalate Across Region

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26/11/25 • 16 Mga view • 0 Ibahagi • Na-publish sa Iba pa

The 19 Northern governors will hold an emergency meeting on November 29, 2025, in Kaduna State, as the region battles a devastating surge in school attacks, mass abductions, and worsening insecurity. The meeting was confirmed on Monday by Peter Ahemba, Senior Special Assistant to Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, amid rising fear and widespread school closures.

The announcement came just hours after South-West governors, meeting in Ibadan, jointly endorsed the creation of state police to counter escalating banditry—an indication of growing national agreement that Nigeria’s security architecture must be urgently restructured.

Ahemba said the Northern governors’ summit will centre on actionable strategies to tackle kidnappings, banditry, and targeted assaults on educational institutions. He noted that attacks on schools—especially in the North-East and North-West—have intensified to alarming levels, forcing shutdowns in multiple states.

Recent incidents include the invasion of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where gunmen kidnapped at least 24 students and killed the vice principal. Days later, more than 300 students and staff were abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, in one of the largest school attacks in recent years. Although 50 students managed to escape, the country remains shaken by the scale of the abductions.

Ahemba revealed that the deteriorating security situation compelled Governor Sule, who chairs the North Central Governors Forum, to cut short his participation at the G20 Summit in South Africa. Back in Nasarawa, the governor convened an emergency security meeting aimed at boosting surveillance and preventing further school-related attacks. He assured residents that security agencies in the state are on high alert and fully mobilised.

Meanwhile, South-West governors concluded their regional meeting with a renewed demand for the creation of state police. Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dapo Abiodun, Seyi Makinde, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and Biodun Oyebanji agreed to establish a South-West Security Fund under the DAWN Commission and approved a regional digital intelligence-sharing platform. They also called on the Federal Government to deploy Forest Guards, pledging state-level support.

In Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang is preparing to unveil a new security strategy following a series of attacks that recently shut down basic schools. His adviser, Yiljap Abraham, said the framework is undergoing final consultations with security chiefs.

Kebbi State has intensified engagements with traditional rulers and media stakeholders as part of ongoing security summits, while Kano State has expanded Joint Task Force operations with newly approved vehicles and motorcycles.

Bauchi State became the latest to shut all schools—public, private, federal, and tertiary—after receiving intelligence of imminent attacks. The Ministry of Education spokesperson, Jalaludeen Usman, described the closure as a painful but necessary safeguard. Following the directive, the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi also suspended academic activities.

In Gombe State, heightened surveillance has been deployed around vulnerable schools, with Commissioner of Police Bello Yahaya meeting ANCOPSS executives to reassess security protocols.

The escalating crisis has drawn criticism from key stakeholders. ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, condemned the widespread closures, blaming years of government neglect for emboldening criminal elements. The Nigeria Union of Teachers issued a similar warning, saying teachers cannot continue to risk their lives in unsecured environments. Amnesty International Nigeria also cautioned that mass kidnappings have inflicted deep psychological trauma on students and threaten to cripple northern education for years.

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, linked the nation’s security woes to weak national identity and deep-seated divisions, calling for renewed unity and shared values.

Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris has urged President Bola Tinubu to review Nigeria’s security blueprint following the deadly Maga school attack. During a sympathy visit led by House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker described the assault as a direct attack on Nigeria’s future and called for the murdered vice principal to be immortalised. Idris insisted that the incident points to a deeper conspiracy undermining the country’s democracy.

Across the North, religious communities are turning to prayer. In Borno State, Christian families held statewide prayer sessions following Governor Babagana Zulum’s call for fasting and intercession, while the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau State announced a five-day crusade for peace and stability scheduled for December 17–21.

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