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19 northern states to contribute ₦1bn monthly to new security trust fund
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Governors ask Tinubu to suspend mining for six months and audit all licences
• Forum backs creation of state police to tackle banditry and terrorism
Northern governors have approved the creation of a new regional security trust fund that will draw a combined ₦1 billion monthly from the 19 northern states and their local governments to confront the escalating violence in the region.
The decision was announced in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting between the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held on Monday. According to the communiqué, the contribution will be deducted at source under a framework to be agreed upon by the states.
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Forum chairman and Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, said the fund is expected to strengthen the region’s capacity to combat banditry, terrorism and kidnapping, which have continued to overwhelm communities despite years of military operations.
The governors also urged President Bola Tinubu to order a six-month suspension of all mining activities in northern Nigeria, describing illegal mining as a “major contributory factor” to insecurity. They alleged that artisanal miners and their financiers have been funding armed groups and fuelling violent criminal networks.
They further called for a comprehensive audit and revalidation of mining licences during the suspension period to curb illicit extraction and block revenue channels sustaining criminal gangs.
The forum commended President Tinubu for the recent rescue of abducted schoolchildren and praised security agencies for their continued efforts in confronting insurgents and bandits across the region.
Reaffirming their support for the establishment of state police, the governors urged northern federal and state lawmakers to accelerate constitutional amendments needed to create decentralised policing structures capable of responding swiftly to local threats.
