Barely 24 hours after northern governors and traditional rulers agreed to activate a regional Security Trust Fund and renewed calls for state police, fresh attacks across Plateau, Kaduna, Borno and Benue states have exposed the scale of insecurity confronting the region, raising fresh concerns over whether increased funding alone can stem the violence.
An investigation by BusinessDay shows that despite sustained military offensives that have degraded criminal groups in parts of Zamfara, Katsina and Borno states, armed gangs continue to exploit intelligence gaps, attack farming communities, target vulnerable civilians and destroy public infrastructure. The pattern suggests that while security forces are winning tactical battles, criminal networks retain the capacity to launch coordinated attacks across multiple fronts.
The renewed violence came almost simultaneously with resolutions reached in Kaduna, where northern governors and traditional rulers endorsed the operationalisation of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund. Chaired by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, the meeting reaffirmed participating states’ commitment to contribute N1 billion monthly to strengthen regional security while also backing the establishment of state police.
