The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Wednesday, July 8, urged northern stakeholders to unite in the fight against banditry, terrorism and kidnapping, saying security must not be left to government and security agencies alone.
Speaking at a joint meeting of northern traditional rulers and governors in Kaduna, the Sultan said the region could only defeat insecurity through collaboration among governors, security agencies, traditional institutions and citizens.
“Security is everybody’s responsibility. It’s not just for security agencies alone, or the governors alone, or traditional rulers alone. It’s everybody’s responsibility. We need to really come together and fight this menace of terrorism, abduction and whatever it is to the best of our ability,” he said.
The Sultan described the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund as a major step towards finding lasting solutions to the security challenges facing the region.
According to him, the board, made up of respected personalities from the 19 northern states, will provide a more practical approach to addressing insecurity.
“We’ve been talking and talking and talking through various papers. But today, with the inauguration of this committee, we believe we are ready to really start the job properly,” he said.
He assured members of the board of the full support of traditional rulers, saying they were ready to provide local knowledge and guidance whenever required.
“Reach out to us any time of the day you want to talk to us. We will give you free consultation. We know the people, we know where we live, and we are ready 100 per cent to walk hand in hand with you,” he added.
The monarch said the fight against insecurity must rise above religious and ethnic differences, stressing that unity remained the greatest strength of the North.
“This is a source of unity for us. It comes from all the 19 northern states to serve in one body. We believe once you are united, you will be more focused. Unity is the most important thing,” he said.
The Sultan recalled that northern traditional rulers had consistently opposed violent extremism and had submitted recommendations on insecurity to the Northern Governors’ Forum as far back as 2014.
“We never supported it. As Muslims, we never supported such things. We kicked against it so many years ago. We gave that paper in 2014… Today is the realisation of the day we believe will kick off the real hard work of bringing peace to the North,” he said.
He also urged governors to provide sustained funding for the security initiative, saying no meaningful intervention could succeed without adequate resources.
“Nothing can be done without funds. You still have a lot to do to support this Board of Trustees,” he said.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Northern Governors had earlier appointed a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, and a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (retd.), as co-chairmen of the Board of Trustees of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund.
The board was inaugurated in Kaduna on Wednesday during the joint meeting.
Other members include a former Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya (retd.); and other prominent northern stakeholders.
The fund is expected to mobilise resources, improve security coordination and strengthen intelligence collaboration in support of federal security agencies.
Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said the trust fund would help the region respond to insecurity in a more organised and sustainable manner.
“Today’s inauguration of the Board of Trustees marks the first major step towards actualising the forum’s commitment to tackling the ravaging insecurity across our region in a more organised, coordinated, sustainable and accountable manner,” Yahaya said.
He said the 19 northern states had agreed to establish the fund after recognising that the region’s security challenges required urgent and collective action.
The governor disclosed that the 19 northern states and their local governments had agreed to contribute ₦1bn monthly for one year to finance the initiative.
He urged states that had yet to redeem their pledges to do so, while charging the board to ensure transparency, accountability and prudent management of the funds.
Yahaya said although national security remained the constitutional responsibility of the Federal Government, northern states must complement federal efforts through intelligence gathering, community resilience and regional cooperation.
He warned that the trust fund must not become another bureaucratic structure, saying its success would be judged by visible results.
