Amid a wave of deadly terrorist attacks, banditry, and insurgency sweeping across Nigeria’s northern region, the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, is spearheading a regional coalition to tackle the worsening insecurity. This coordinated effort, exclusively gathered by ireport247new.com, comes in the wake of several brutal massacres that have left hundreds dead in recent weeks.
The latest string of violence includes the gruesome killing of 51 people in Zike and Kimakpa communities of Bassa Local Government Area in Plateau State. Among the dead was a family of eight. This occurred barely two weeks after another carnage in Bokkos LGA, where 52 individuals were slain by armed men who also razed homes and injured many more. In Benue State, the Otobi community in Otukpo LGA was similarly attacked on Tuesday, leaving at least 11 people dead by Wednesday.
In response to the escalating crisis, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the killings, asserting that “enough is enough,” and urged Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang and security forces to put an end to the senseless bloodshed. Mutfwang responded swiftly, announcing security measures including a ban on night grazing, curfews on motorcycle use between 7pm and 6am, and restrictions on cattle transportation after 7pm, all aimed at curbing criminal movements during vulnerable hours.
“These are coordinated acts of terror,” Governor Mutfwang said in a statewide address. “They are intended to displace our people and deny them their rights to live peacefully on ancestral lands.”
The security crisis has gripped all three northern geopolitical zones. The North-East continues to battle Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while the North-West has been ravaged by armed bandit groups engaging in kidnappings, killings, and widespread displacement. In the North-Central zone, recurring ethno-religious conflicts, herder-farmer clashes, and criminal gang activities have left villages destroyed and communities in despair.
Between November 2024 and April 2025 alone, Borno State experienced 252 Boko Haram attacks resulting in 380 deaths, according to Senator Ali Ndume. Meanwhile, data from SBM Intelligence revealed that more than 1,356 farmers were killed by bandits between 2020 and 2024. Farmers across the region paid at least N139 million in farm levies to armed groups in the same period, underscoring how violence has disrupted agriculture—the economic backbone of the North.
Overall, security consultancy firm SBM Intelligence, in alignment with Global Human Rights Nigeria, reported that 24,816 people were killed and 15,597 kidnapped in Nigeria in the past five years. These chilling statistics highlight the devastating toll of terrorism and armed violence on Nigeria’s most populous region.
Against this grim backdrop, Governor Muhammadu Yahaya is intensifying efforts to unify the 19 northern governors in a coordinated response to the regional threat. Speaking through Ismaila Uba Misilli, Director-General of Press Affairs at the Gombe State Government House, Yahaya affirmed his commitment to a collaborative approach that prioritizes intelligence sharing, joint security operations, and inter-state coordination.
“As Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Governor Yahaya has been at the forefront of rallying his fellow governors towards a united strategy to address insecurity in the North,” Misilli said.
He added, “Following the recent escalation in Plateau and other parts of the region, the governor has been in regular communication—both formally and informally—with his colleagues, security chiefs, and stakeholders. He is working to establish frameworks for joint military operations, proactive intelligence coordination, and policy alignment across the states.”
Security experts have long advocated for a regional approach, arguing that the porous nature of inter-state borders and the transitory behavior of armed groups render isolated state efforts ineffective. The joint northern initiative could mark a turning point in combating decades-long instability that has crippled economic development and torn communities apart.
Meanwhile, ordinary citizens in the affected communities continue to reel from the trauma of repeated violence. Displaced persons camps in Benue, Borno, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Plateau are filled beyond capacity, with many lacking basic necessities. Local leaders and civil society groups have called for urgent humanitarian intervention in addition to security reforms.
The Northern Governors’ Forum is expected to convene a high-level emergency meeting in the coming weeks to finalize and announce its regional security strategy. If successful, the initiative could serve as a blueprint for tackling insecurity across other volatile regions in Nigeria.
As the country awaits tangible results, one thing is clear: the North can no longer afford fragmented responses to a crisis that has claimed too many lives and livelihoods. A united, strategic, and sustained effort is urgently needed to reclaim peace and restore hope in a region long gripped by terror.