Northern Leaders Call for Six-Month Mining Suspension, Launch N228bn Security Fund Amid Escalating Insecurity

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02/12/25 • 21 Pogledi • 0 Udio • Objavljeno u ostalo

KADUNA — Northern governors and traditional rulers on Monday called for a six-month suspension of mining activities across the region, blaming illegal mining for fueling insecurity and providing resou..

The leaders also announced plans to raise N228 billion annually to bolster security operations and combat banditry terrorising communities across the 19 northern states. Under the framework, each state and its local governments will contribute N1 billion monthly, to be deducted at source. The fund is intended to finance intelligence-driven interventions, joint security operations, and coordinated regional responses.

The announcements came in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna. The meeting was chaired by Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, with all 19 northern governors or their deputies in attendance.

Escalating School Attacks Prompt Urgent Action

In recent weeks, multiple school raids across the North have left families traumatised and communities deserted. At least 500 students and residents have been kidnapped in attacks that forced temporary closures in Kebbi, Bauchi, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau, Niger, Katsina, and Kwara states.

Notable incidents include the November 17 attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where 24 schoolgirls were abducted and the vice-principal killed, and the November 21 raid on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, where 303 students and 12 teachers were kidnapped. Victims in both incidents were eventually rescued.

The spate of abductions also prompted the Federal Government to close 41 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide and declare a nationwide security emergency, directing immediate recruitment for the army, police, and intelligence agencies, and calling for the legalisation of state police. At the Monday meeting, northern leaders endorsed the state policing initiative, reversing decades of political opposition to multi-level policing.

Illegal Mining Identified as Security Threat

The communiqué highlighted that criminal mining networks were contributing to violence and funding armed groups. The forum recommended a six-month suspension of mining activities to allow for a full audit and revalidation of licences, and to curb artisanal illegal mining.

Regional Security Fund and Military Support

To strengthen security, the governors announced the creation of a regional Security Trust Fund, to which each state and its local governments will contribute N1 billion monthly. The fund will be deployed to support rapid, coordinated security responses and intelligence-led operations.

The NSGF expressed renewed support for military efforts to eliminate insurgent enclaves and extended condolences to the states affected by recent attacks. Governor Yahaya warned that insecurity threatened the future of the northern region, driven by underdevelopment, weak policing, and economic hardship, and called for urgent action to address out-of-school children and the Almajiri system to prevent radicalisation.

Traditional Leaders Pledge Support

The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, commended the governors and pledged the full support of traditional institutions in tackling insecurity, poverty, and social dislocation. He encouraged political leaders to embrace constructive criticism, resist divisive tendencies, and maintain unity in addressing the region’s challenges.

“The North is our home, and we must work together to make it safer and more prosperous,” the Sultan said.

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