Nigeria’s 19 northern governors will hold an emergency security meeting in Kaduna on 29 November as the region reels from a series of mass abductions and school closures, in what officials describe as one of the most alarming escalations of violence in years.
The move comes barely 24 hours after South-West governors met in Ibadan, declaring that “the time is now” for the creation of state police to tackle rampant banditry and attacks across the country. The Ibadan gathering saw governors from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun call for urgent federal backing to secure vast forest belts that have become hideouts for armed groups.
Confirming the planned northern summit, Peter Ahemba, senior aide to Nasarawa State governor Abdullahi Sule, said the meeting would consider “concrete steps” to confront the explosion of kidnappings, banditry and armed raids across the zone. Sule, who chairs the North Central Governors’ Forum, reportedly cut short his trip to the G20 summit in South Africa to deal with worsening security developments at home.
“The government is on red alert,” Ahemba said. “The security agencies are on red alert because of what is happening within the neighbourhood.”
The urgency follows an intensifying pattern of attacks on schools in northern states. Last week, armed men stormed Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, abducting at least 24 students and killing the vice principal. Days later, gunmen raided St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, seizing more than 300 students and staff; around 50 later escaped.
In response, multiple northern states — including Bauchi — have shuttered all primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. The Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, has also suspended academic activities after a directive from the state government.
Bauchi’s Ministry of Education said the closures followed “overwhelming security concerns”, urging calm as authorities worked with security agencies to stabilise the situation.
Further east, Gombe State police said they had strengthened surveillance and rapid-response patrols around schools, focusing on isolated or vulnerable areas. Commissioner of Police Bello Yahaya told school principals that “continuous assessment, proactive planning and strong collaboration” were essential to keeping students safe.
But the closures have drawn sharp criticism. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) condemned the shutdowns and accused governments of “killing education by instalment”, while the Nigeria Union of Teachers warned it may withdraw teachers from high-risk locations unless the federal government improves school security.
Amnesty International has also raised the alarm, warning that mass kidnappings are inflicting deep psychological trauma and could permanently derail education for thousands of children across the north. “The trauma that comes with being abducted, or with the fear of being abducted, is going to prevent thousands of children from getting an education completely,” said Isa Sanusi, the organisation’s Nigeria director.
The insecurity has prompted political and social reactions across the country. In Kebbi, where last week’s abductions occurred, Governor Nasir Idris demanded President Bola Tinubu overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture. Speaking during a condolence visit led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, Idris said, “There is no reason armed men should invade a school and escape without resistance.”
Abbas condemned the attack as “a heartbreaking and unacceptable assault on our children” and announced N30m in support for the families of the slain vice principal and watchman. He urged the state to immortalise the vice principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, who died protecting his students — a request Idris said he would honour.
Elsewhere, Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang is preparing to unveil a security plan after closing basic schools amid renewed violence. His adviser, Yiljap Abraham, said the state was working “hand in hand” with the federal government to address the crisis.
States are also adopting independent measures. Kano has deployed additional vehicles and motorcycles to its Joint Task Force to boost mobility in frontline areas, while Kebbi has hosted a series of regional security summits with traditional leaders and broadcasters.
Amid the wave of violence, Christian communities in Borno held statewide prayer sessions after Governor Babagana Zulum called for voluntary fasting “to seek divine intervention”, while the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau announced a five-day “Jos Jesus Crusade” aimed at promoting peace.
The wider crisis has revived longstanding questions about Nigeria’s fractured national identity. Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general of the National Orientation Agency, said the turmoil reflected decades of failure to forge shared values. “At the centre of these challenges is the issue of a shared value system,” he told an audience in Abuja. “Nigeria continues to function as a collection of competing groups rather than a unified nation.”
As the north heads into its emergency summit and the south-west renews its push for state-level policing, the country faces a stark reckoning: a security crisis stretching from Kebbi to Oyo, closing classrooms and pushing communities to the brink — with no sign yet of a lasting solution.
