Northern govs, monarchs demand state police, N1bn monthly security fund to tackle insecurity

The 19 Northern Governors and the region’s Traditional Rulers’ Council have announced far-reaching resolutions aimed at tackling the escalating security challenges confronting the region.

The governors and the traditional leaders demanded the immediate suspension of all mining activities and also called for N1 billion monthly security fund to fight insecurity in the north.

They made this known via a communique issued after an emergency joint meeting held today at the Government House in Kaduna on Monday, December 1, 2025, declaring that only collective action and decisive measures can end the escalating insecurity ravaging the northern region of Nigeria.

The Forum accused illegal mining of being a major driver of the security crisis in the North and demanded that President Bola Tinubu direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to halt all mining exploration and subject every mining licence to revalidation in active consultation with state governors.

The leaders warned that artisanal and illegal mining must be brought under control to starve criminals of funding and logistics.

The northern leaders, while calling for the establishment of a Northern Regional Security Trust Fund, said each of the 19 northern states and their local governments will contribute N1 billion monthly, to be deducted at source, into a dedicated security fund.

They added that the framework for the fund will be finalised soon.

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The governors and traditional rulers also reiterated their “wholehearted support” for the creation of state police and urged northern federal and state lawmakers to fast-track the necessary constitutional amendments.

The Forum commended Tinubu for securing the release of some recently abducted schoolchildren and praised the sacrifices of the armed forces.

They pledged “renewed and total support” for any military action required to take the fight to insurgent enclaves in order to end terrorism and banditry in the country

The leaders extended sympathies to the governments and people of Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Borno, and Yobe States over recent killings, abductions of school children, and Boko Haram attacks.

The governors and monarchs further emphasised that “only through unity, peer review, and cooperation” can the North overcome its challenges, with the leaders reaffirming their determination to discharge their constitutional responsibilities with “firmness and clarity.”

They added that another joint meeting will be convened soon to review progress on these resolutions.

The Star