The 19 Northern governors will hold an emergency meeting on November 29 in Kaduna as widespread school abductions and bandit attacks continue to force lockdowns across several states.
Their decision followed Monday’s meeting of the South-West Governors’ Forum in Ibadan, where the governors renewed calls for the establishment of state police and urged the Federal Government to secure forests that have become hideouts for criminal groups.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Nasarawa State, Peter Ahemba, confirmed the Northern governors’ meeting in an interview in Lafia on Monday amid increasing school closures across the region.
Spike in School Attacks
The North has witnessed a string of major school abductions in recent weeks.
Bandits invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State last week, killing the vice principal and abducting at least 24 students.
Days later, gunmen raided St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, kidnapping more than 300 students and staff. Fifty students later escaped.
Ahemba said Saturday’s meeting in Kaduna would focus on “concrete steps” to tackle the rising wave of kidnapping, banditry, and related threats.
He disclosed that Governor Abdullahi Sule cut short his trip to the G20 Summit in South Africa to attend to security issues and also convened an emergency security meeting in Lafia on Monday.
South-West Governors Renew State Police Demand
In Ibadan, southwest governors reviewed the security situation in their states and issued a communiqué calling for immediate approval of state police.
Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) attended the meeting, while Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke was represented by his deputy.
Sanwo-Olu, who read the communiqué, said the current security challenges demanded urgent regional coordination, including a joint intelligence-sharing platform for all six states and the creation of a South-West Security Fund under the DAWN Commission.
The governors also urged the Federal Government to deploy forest guards across the region and intensify surveillance in expansive forest belts where kidnappers operate.
Plateau, Kebbi, Kano, Bauchi Take State-Level Action
In Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang is expected to unveil a security plan soon, according to his Special Adviser on Policy and Governance, Yiljap Abraham. He said the state had been compelled to close basic schools due to recent attacks.
In Kebbi State, Governor Nasir Idris received the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who led a federal delegation to console the state after last week’s school abductions.
Abbas condemned the attacks and announced donations to the families of the slain vice principal and watchman.
Idris insisted that security agencies must explain how gunmen entered the school unchallenged and called on President Bola Tinubu to review the country’s security architecture. He also agreed to rename the school in honour of the slain vice principal, Malam Hassan Makuku.
In Kano, Governor Abba Yusuf approved the deployment of vehicles and motorcycles to boost the Joint Task Force’s operations in insecure councils.
Meanwhile, Bauchi State ordered the closure of all primary, secondary and tertiary institutions following heightened threats.
READ ALSO: Niger School Pupils Abduction: State Govt Blames School for Ignoring Security Directive
The directive was confirmed in a statement by the Ministry of Education’s spokesperson, Jalaludeen Usman, who said the move was necessary to protect students and staff. Federal Polytechnic Bauchi also suspended academic activities.
Police, Teachers, and Civil Society Raise Alarm
The Gombe State Police Command said it had increased surveillance around schools after a meeting between the Commissioner of Police, Bello Yahaya, and executives of the state chapter of the All Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools.
But the Academic Staff Union of Universities condemned the growing trend of school closures, warning that education was “under attack” from both bandits and failed governance.
Its National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, criticised the Federal Government for failing to meet outstanding demands.
The National Union of Teachers also threatened to shut schools located in volatile areas unless security improved.
Amnesty International Nigeria warned that mass abductions would worsen the already dire out-of-school children crisis, with Country Director Isa Sanusi noting that trauma and fear would push thousands out of classrooms.
NOA Links Crisis to Lack of National Identity
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said Nigeria’s crisis was rooted in the absence of a shared national identity.
Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration of a joint committee with the National Universities Commission, he said recent debates in the U.S. Congress underscored the consequences of Nigeria’s failure to build a common value system.
Prayers, Crusades in Borno and Plateau
In Borno State, Christian faithful held a prayer session in Maiduguri on Monday evening in response to Governor Babagana Zulum’s call for fasting and prayers against rising insecurity.
The Christian Association of Nigeria also announced a five-day “Jos Jesus Crusade” scheduled for December 17–21 at St. John’s College, Jos, to promote peace and unity.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
