Northern governors and traditional rulers, alarmed by the surge in insecurity across the region, have put forward a bold proposal — a six-month suspension of all mining activities in the North.
Their position was contained in a communiqué released after a joint session of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council, which convened at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna. The gathering, chaired by Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Yahaya, brought together all 19 northern governors alongside chairmen of the region’s traditional councils.
The leaders linked illegal mining to the persistent violence troubling many northern communities, noting that the security crisis had taken a dangerous turn. They cited recent killings and kidnappings across Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, as well as renewed Boko Haram activity in parts of Borno and Yobe.
The Forum extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to the governments and good people of the affected states,” the communiqué said.
The attacks on schoolchildren and other citizens, the leaders stressed, had become “unacceptable tragedies” demanding urgent, coordinated action
They commended President Bola Tinubu for what they described as the Federal Government’s “firm response” to the wave of abductions and insurgency threats, especially the recent rescue of some kidnapped pupils. Security agencies were also praised for their efforts on the frontline
We resolved to renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to insurgents’ enclaves in order to end the criminality,” the Forum stated.
One of the strongest positions adopted at the meeting was the renewed call for the creation of state police. The governors and traditional rulers maintained that decentralised policing was no longer optional but essential to restoring stability in the North.
The Forum reaffirms its wholehearted support and commitment to the establishment of state police,” the communiqué added, calling on lawmakers from the region at both federal and state levels to “expedite action for its actualisation.”