Northern governors are currently having sleepless nights over recent unabated attacks on states in the region that have led to wanton loss of lives and property.
Rising from a meeting over the security challenge on Thursday night, the governors urged the federal government to take a close look at the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of persons across borders to “check the influx of herders from other countries into Nigeria, particularly the North.”
The governors also want the federal government to “accelerate the Livestock Transformation Plan which will assist in creating jobs among farmers and herders in the region and the country at large.”
The meeting conducted via teleconferencing was presided over by Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong.
While expressing concern over the level of insecurity in the region, the governors resolved to do everything to contain the situation, including engagement of local vigilantes, hunters, and community watch groups in the security architecture in order to foster intelligence gathering, rapid response and sustained surveillance.
The Forum appointed Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to head a standing committee on security in the region which is expected to foster synergy between security agencies in the enforcement of security measures in the region. His counterparts from Zamfara and Gombe are expected to back him in getting this done.
The Chairman of the Forum, Lalong heads another committee on consultation with traditional, religious and community leaders in the region with a view to ensuring that there is wider involvement of all stakeholders in tackling the challenge. He has Governors of Adamawa, Niger, and Sokoto as members of his committee.
While commending the Nigerian security forces on their efforts so far, they called for increased synergy among them, which they believed would enhance their operations and assist in putting an end to the activities of bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and other criminals.
The governors however, resolved not to jettison dialogue, adding that where necessary, such tool would be used while also pursuing military measures in dealing with the various security challenges in the region.
Sympathising with victims of the various attacks and other forms of criminality in the region, the governors appealed for calm by groups and those affected, as the forum, individual state governments and the federal government were working together to ensure that the situation is brought under control immediately, as well as addressing the humanitarian needs of the victims.