Northern Nigeria is standing at a crossroads — and leaders are finally admitting it. At a high-level meeting in Kaduna, governors and traditional rulers warned that the region is dangerously close to losing its future to rising insecurity, deepening poverty, and the collapse of public trust. Their message was simple: “Act now, or the North may never recover.”
The governors pushed again for the creation of state police, saying the current centralized structure cannot protect a region so large, vulnerable, and under attack. They also called for a 6-month ban on mining, arguing that illegal operations are fueling criminal networks.
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, urged leaders to close ranks and reject the politics of blame. According to him, insecurity is now being politicized — and it’s weakening the collective fight for stability. He emphasized that Nigeria cannot secure the North without unity, honesty, and decisive action.
But while leaders were meeting, reality struck again. In Kano State, bandits abducted 11 villagers, including a nursing mother, despite residents warning security personnel hours earlier. And in Abuja, panic broke out at a secondary school after students mistook soldiers on routine duty for kidnappers — a sign of how deeply fear now sits in the minds of young Nigerians.
Security agencies, however, recorded a breakthrough. The police in Abuja successfully halted a planned mass abduction, killing three attackers during a fierce exchange and recovering weapons.
Amid these crises, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu visited Niger State to reassure families of kidnapped schoolchildren, saying the victims were safe and would soon be reunited with their parents.
Experts across the North praised President Tinubu’s declaration of a national emergency on insecurity but stressed that words alone will not fix anything. They want massive deployment of special forces, advanced surveillance technology, stronger intelligence operations, and a crackdown on the financial networks sustaining terrorists.
Some experts argue that certain troubled states need temporary military administration, while others insist that military action must be paired with economic and social reforms to make lasting progress.
Across Sokoto, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa, and Niger, one message is clear:
The North cannot afford another decade of killings, kidnappings, and fear.
Whether the emergency declaration becomes real change — or just another promise — depends entirely on how boldly Nigeria acts now.