Governors of the nineteen Northern States, Traditional Rulers, and Security Chiefs yesterday met in Kaduna to discuss the alarming rise in security threats and other socioeconomic problems in the region.
The meeting which took place at the Kaduna state government house came barely two weeks after governors of the Northwest zone held a similar meeting with the service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser to discuss ways to address the issue of banditry and kidnapping bedeviling the zone.
In his opening remarks, the host Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, said the meeting was long overdue and crucial for the progress of the north and the country in general.
Among the governors present were those of Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, as well as the deputy Governors of Bauchi, Kogi, Zamfara, Benue, and Niger states.
Also in attendance was the Chief of Staff to the president, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, the Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Information and Culture, and the Director-General State Security Services.
Others were traditional Rulers led by the sultan of Sokoto and representatives of the Northern Elders Forum.