Northern leaders suspend mining, launch N228 billion security fund to tackle abduction surge

Northern leaders push for mining suspension, State police and a unified ₦228 billion Security Fund amid escalating abduction

Northern Governors and Traditional Rulers at a Meeting Yesterday.

By Olukemi Odoh

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Leaders of the 19 states in Northern Nigeria, alongside traditional rulers, on Monday called for an immediate six-month suspension of mining activities across the region — blaming illegal mining for worsening insecurity. The resolution emerged from a meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council (NTRC), held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna.

In the same communiqué, the northern leaders unveiled a plan to mobilise ₦228 billion as a regional security fund aimed at combating banditry, kidnapping and other security threats afflicting communities across the North. Under the arrangement, each of the 19 states and its local governments will contribute ₦1 billion monthly — to be deducted at source under a yet-to-be-finalized framework — amounting to the significant sum over a one-year period.

According to the statement, the newly proposed fund is expected to finance coordinated security responses, intelligence-driven operations, and joint interventions to tackle the escalating violence affecting schools, communities, and vulnerable populations in the region.

The demand for a suspension of mining stems from the governors’ and rulers’ assessment that illegal mining networks — often unregulated artisanal operations — are financing and fueling criminal groups responsible for kidnappings, banditry, and terror campaigns. They urged the federal government — and particularly the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development — to suspend all mining operations across Northern Nigeria to allow for a full audit and revalidation of mining licences.

Monday’s meeting was attended by all 19 northern governors, many traditional rulers, and in some cases deputies — underlining the broad consensus among political and traditional leadership. The forum also reaffirmed support for the creation of state-level policing (state police), arguing that the current centralized policing framework is inadequate to handle the security challenges in a region as vast as Northern Nigeria.

The decision comes amid a wave of abductions and attacks on schools and communities across the North. Recent weeks saw dozens of schoolchildren and other citizens kidnapped by criminal gangs in various states, prompting mass closures of schools in some areas and widespread fear.

At the end of the session, the governors and traditional rulers pledged unity, collective responsibility, and renewed support for military and security operations aimed at eliminating insurgent enclaves. They commended the efforts already led by the federal government to secure the release of some abducted children, and vowed to support such efforts full.

Analysis

The decision by the Northern governors and traditional rulers reflects a sense of urgency and desperation in response to a surge in violent kidnappings, banditry, and insecurity in the region. By linking illegal mining to the funding of armed criminal networks and proposing a six-month mining suspension, the leaders are targeting what they believe is a root cause — not just the symptoms. Simultaneously, creation of a ₦228 billion security trust fund and backing for state policing signals a shift toward more localized, better-funded, and coordinated security responses. However, for these measures to succeed, they will require rigorous enforcement, transparency in fund management, and broad cooperation — including intelligence sharing, community engagement, and political will. Without strong oversight and accountability, there is a risk that the resources and intentions could be undermined by corruption, mismanagement or inefficiency