The Northern Governors’ Forum,  traditional rulers and other leaders of the region have reaffirmed support for the swift implementation of state policing reform, describing it as a critical mechanism for tackling the security challenges bedevilling the country.

According to them, Nigeria’s centralised policing model can no longer meet the demands of a nation with over two hundred million people with vast ungoverned spaces.

The leaders cautioned against promoting divisive and one-sided narratives that undermine national cohesion, entrench divisions, and ultimately harm collective efforts to tackle the security challenges confronting the region.

They held a crucial meeting in Kaduna State on Monday to deliberate on how to tackle the worsening insecurity situation and other socioeconomic challenges affecting the region.

The meeting, which was hosted by Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State and presided over by the chairman of the forum, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, comes at a time the region is grappling with heightened security threats ranging from banditry and kidnapping to farmer-herder conflicts and disruptions to economic activities.

In his welcome address, Governor Uba Sani said the gathering underscores their resolve to adopt a unified approach in confronting the escalating security and socioeconomic challenges affecting the north.

He emphasized the need for the creation of a state police, noting that the country’s centralized policing system cannot meet the demands of the present realities.

“The public conversation about insecurity in the north has become more complicated. A few voices driven by political motives have worked to create the impression that northern governors have grown complacent, nothing could be further from the truth. We know the weight of the mandate entrusted to us, we lead the urgency of every security threat and every developmental need.

“And we are fully aware that our people expect clarity, responsiveness and results. Every governor sitting here works tirelessly to secure our communities. We coordinate, compare strategies, share intelligence and hold one another accountable.

“We operate an informal effective peer review mechanism where no idea is too small to be tested and no successful intervention is too insignificant to be replicated. Kindly permit me to reiterate the imperative of state police.

“Nigeria’s centralised policing model can no longer meet the demands of a nation with over two hundred million people with vast ungoverned spaces. With fewer than four hundred thousand police officers nationwide, many rural communities are left without meaningful protection.

“Your excellencies, our region has gone far, we are dismantling new obstacles and building new pathways of cooperation and development. But the challenges remain; some inherited, some emerging, some shaped by global uncertainty. What matters now is that we face them together, with clarity and determination.”

Speaking at the meeting, the chairman of the Governors’ forum, Governor Yahaya, said the security challenges confronting the north are multifaceted and affect both Muslims and Christians.

He commended the decisive steps taken by President Bola Tinubu to secure the nation, especially in the face of heightened international pressure.

“At this critical moment, we express our strong and unflinching support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We commend the decisive efforts he is taking to secure our nation, especially in the face of heightened international pressure.

“While we welcome constructive international cooperation in tackling our security challenges, such help must be offered in a manner that preserves Nigeria’s territorial integrity, dignity and sovereignty, while acknowledging our complexities.

“The security challenges we are facing are multifaceted. Our people, Muslims and Christians alike, continue to suffer from these acts of terror and criminality. Members of our armed forces, drawn from every tribe and faith, have paid the supreme price and are working tirelessly to defeat our common enemies and protect our communities.

“We must, therefore, resist the urge to promote simplistic, divisive, and one-sided narratives that undermine national cohesion, entrench divisions, and ultimately harm our collective efforts. The objective of our enemies is to sow discord and distrust amongst us; we must not allow them to win.

“While we confront these threats, we must acknowledge that they do not exist in a vacuum. As leaders, we must take full responsibility. The roots of these crises lie in the deep-seated problems of underdevelopment, illiteracy, crippling lack of opportunities, as well as the pressing challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and poor resource management. These factors exacerbate existing tensions, fuel conflicts over dwindling resources, and deprive our rural communities of their very livelihood.”

Governor Yahaya also said that the present security situation in the north requires that leaders of the region must unite and collectively address the key drivers of insecurity such as underdevelopment and illiteracy, just as he cautions against promoting divisive and one-sided narratives that undermine national cohesion, entrench divisions and ultimately harm their collective efforts to tackle the challenges.

“To return northern Nigeria to the path of stability and prosperity, we must work together, hand in hand, to confront these challenges by investing massively in human capital development, critical infrastructure, and socioeconomic opportunities. It is in the light of this that we placed the issue of almajiri and out-of-school children at the forefront of our agenda today.

“My dear colleagues, the reality of millions of our northern children roaming the streets instead of being in classrooms is not only unacceptable but also a stain on our collective conscience. We must move beyond rhetoric and take decisive and coordinated actions to put every child in school and equip them with the knowledge and skills required to achieve their God-given potential.

“We must also invest in critical transport and energy infrastructure by building roads, railways and power lines that unlock economic opportunities and open up our communities for trade and investment.

“Our challenges are local, and their solutions, to a large extent, lie in this hall (the political and traditional leaders of northern Nigeria). I therefore call on all of us to engage in today’s discussions with the seriousness it demands. We must create local solutions to address our local problems.

“It is in this regard that our forum must reaffirm its support for the swift implementation of state policing reform as a critical and effective mechanism to tackle the present security challenges bedevilling our country. This position is in line with our communique of 10th of May, 2025.

“We are therefore greatly encouraged by the recent pronouncement from His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging the National Assembly to work diligently towards creating the enabling constitutional framework.

“We urge both our federal and state legislators to accord this initiative the utmost priority it deserves, and we seek for the full collaboration of the federal government in ensuring these vital reforms are successfully implemented as soon as possible.”

Traditional rulers, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, raise concerns over the social and economic impact of the persistent insecurity on the region.

The Sultan, who doubles as the chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, called on governors of the region to listen more attentively to their critics and use constructive feedback to strengthen governance across the north.

He noted that no leader seeking the people’s mandate would deliberately turn his back on citizens after assuming office, warning that dismissing criticism could slow down efforts to address the region’s challenges, especially insecurity, poverty and economic hardship.

The Sultan also called for more frequent engagement between governors and traditional leaders across the three geopolitical zones, proposing structured meetings to harmonize decisions affecting the north.

Among the governors present were those of Kaduna, Gombe, Niger, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Bauchi, along with some deputy governors representing their principals, while key traditional rulers led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, were also in attendance.