Northern Governors Set Emergency Meeting as Insecurity Deepens Across Region

Growing insecurity across the Northern region has prompted the 19 Northern governors to convene an emergency meeting slated for November 29, 2025, in Kaduna. The gathering aims to map out coordinated action as communities face intensified attacks, mass abductions and widespread school closures.

Confirmation of the meeting was issued by Peter Ahemba, Senior Special Assistant to Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, who noted that rising security concerns in several states made urgent deliberation unavoidable. He explained that the governors will consider practical measures to curb the surge in kidnapping, banditry and related threats.

The Northern region has come under repeated attacks in recent weeks, particularly on schools. Armed men abducted at least 24 students and killed a vice principal at Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. A similar attack in Papiri, Niger State, saw gunmen seize more than 300 students and staff, although 50 later escaped.

Ahemba stressed that Nasarawa State has already intensified its response. Governor Sule, who chairs the North Central Governors Forum, cut short his trip to the G20 Summit in South Africa to attend to the growing crisis. He convened an emergency security meeting on Monday to strengthen surveillance and upgrade support for security agencies.

While the Northern states prepare for their meeting, their Southern counterparts have also taken action. On Monday, South-West governors met in Ibadan where they renewed calls for the creation of state police, describing it as overdue. Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dapo Abiodun, Seyi Makinde, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Biodun Oyebanji attended the session, with Osun State represented by its deputy.

Reading the communique, Sanwo-Olu said the South-West has endorsed a regional security fund under the DAWN Commission and agreed to set up a digital intelligence sharing platform for rapid response. The governors urged the Federal Government to secure forests that have become criminal hideouts and recommended the deployment of forest guards across the zone.

Amid national concern, several states are taking individual steps. Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang is expected to announce a comprehensive security plan after holding multiple engagements with security chiefs. Kano State has boosted logistics support for security operatives with new vehicles and motorcycles, while Kebbi State has hosted high-level security summits involving traditional rulers and media leaders.

The Bauchi State Government has temporarily shut all schools in response to rising threats. In a statement, the Ministry of Education said the decision followed extensive consultations on how best to protect students and staff. The Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, has also suspended academic activities in compliance with the directive.

In Gombe State, the police command has increased surveillance around schools after a review of existing security arrangements with school principals. Patrols and rapid response units have been strengthened to guard vulnerable locations.

Stakeholders are raising alarm over the broader impact of the crisis. The Academic Staff Union of Universities criticised both federal and state governments for inadequate responses to attacks on education. Amnesty International Nigeria warned that the wave of abductions risks deepening the country’s out-of-school population, overstretching families already battling economic and security pressures.

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, attributed part of Nigeria’s security challenges to the absence of a unified national identity. He argued that recent debates abroad highlight the consequence of failing to build shared values over decades.

Calls for urgent reform also echoed in Kebbi where Governor Nasir Idris pressed President Bola Tinubu to review the country’s security architecture following the killing of a vice principal and the abduction of schoolgirls. House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas led a federal delegation to commiserate with the state and announced financial support for families of the victims.

In the North-East, Christian groups in Borno and Plateau have organised prayer sessions and planned peace crusades in response to rising violence. Worshipers gathered in Maiduguri for a two-hour interdenominational session, while the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau announced a five-day “Jos Jesus Crusade” to promote unity and stability.