The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has rejectped the decision by the Northern Governors to use the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund (NNSTF) in fighting the security challenges in the region.

According to the officials of the MBF, “we have carefully studied the circumstances leading to the establishment of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund (NNSTF), whose Board of Trustees was inaugurated on July 8, 2026″, just as they kicked against the use of the Trust Fund in addressing the challenges of insecurity

In a statement by the Spokesman of MBF, Like Binniyat on Tuesday, “while we support the establishment of State Police and also appreciate every sincere effort aimed at ending terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country, we strongly oppose the decision of Northern governors to commit huge monthly contributions into this Fund.”

He said, “there is no doubt that the Middle Belt has suffered the greatest human and material losses from the long years of violence across Northern Nigeria”, adding that “thousands of innocent men, women and children have been killed.”

Binniyat added, “hundreds of communities have been destroyed. Millions of hectares of farmland have been abandoned, while countless families now live as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The painful truth is that throughout these years of bloodshed, the Northern States Governors’ Forum has rarely spoken with one voice to condemn the repeated massacres of Middle Belt communities.”

He explained that “many victims have never received solidarity visits from the governors, despite suffering some of the worst atrocities in Nigeria’s history”.

Binniyat noted, “the MBF position is that instead of creating another regional fund, each governor should use his state’s contribution to directly strengthen security in his home state. The MBF believes that the idea of the NNSTF is a well crafted design by the Sokoto caliphate and Borno Sultanate to raise funds to be deployed to promote their interest and those of the terrorists that the fund was supposed to fight.”

According to him, “as far as we are concerned there is no such thing as the Northern region. It was a vexatious, exploitative, suppressive and a backward creation of colonial rule which died in 1966 with the abolition of regional government. So, the continuous membership of Middle Belt States Governors among ‘Northern’ States Governors Forum is very unpopular, not recognized by any state law and as such not acceptable by the majority of the People of the Middle Belt.”

Stressing that “the Middle Belt Forum will challenge the legality of withdrawing One Billion Naira monthly to the Funds”, he remarked, “if each state is ready to contribute about one billion naira every month, that money should first be invested in empowering local communities to form First Lines of Defence, improved local intelligence, communication equipment, surveillance technology, emergency response systems working with approved security agencies.”

“Such funds should also be used to rebuild destroyed villages, rehabilitate schools and hospitals, compensate victims and permanently resettle thousands of displaced families who have remained in camps or with relatives for many years”, the statement stressed.

Besides, Binniyat further pointed out that “the MBF is equally concerned that these funds could eventually find their way rehabilitating repentant terrorists and bandits while innocent victims continue to suffer without any support.”

He added, “the Middle Belt did not create the terrorist groups or armed gangs terrorising Northern Nigeria. Those who understand the roots of these criminal networks are in the core north.