Northern monarchs, others meet in Borno over insecurity
From Sodiq Omolaoye (Abuja) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguiri)
Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, yesterday, urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action to address the rising wave of killings across the federation, stating that “things are not well.”
Speaking with journalists shortly after the 2025 Chrism Mass held at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedra, Garki, Abuja, Kaigama warned that insecurity had gone beyond isolated attacks, stating the menace was growing in all direction.
The bishop’s comment comes after no fewer than 51 people were killed on Monday by gunmen, with scores injured at Zikke and Kakpa communities in Bassa Local Council of PlateauState, two weeks after deadly clashes in another part of the state left several persons dead.
Last week, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said gunmen had killed at least 52 people, and displaced nearly 2,000 others over several days of attacks in Plateau, which has had a history of violence between farmers and cattle herders.
Residents said 51 bodies had been recovered in the Zikke and Kimakpa villages, while several more were reportedly injured.
The cleric warned that the scale and spread of violence have reached alarming levels, which he noted, require a complete rethinking of the nation’s security strategy. He said while past threats were labelled as the handiwork of Boko Haram or militant herdsmen, criminality has now taken diverse forms and continues to spread.
His words: “That was the same request we brought to Mr. President when the Catholic bishops, after our meeting here in Abuja, went to see him. We had to appeal that they must rise to the occasion. Things are not well.”
While acknowledging the President’s efforts to tackle insecurity, Kaigama insisted that sincerity, transparency, and accountability in the use of security votes were critical to restoring peace nationwide. While calling for increased cooperation among security agencies, the bishop stressed that synergy, not competition, was key to ending the menace.
RELATYEDLY, the Northern Traditional Rulers Council (NTRC) has convened its seventh executive council meeting in Maiduguri, Borno State to address the resurgence of terrorism in the region.
The yesterday’s parley was to deliberate on the deteriorating security situation. The meeting of dozens of traditional rulers followed the resurgence of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping on a daily basis in the North-East, North-West and North-Central zones of the country.
Themed: “Enhanced Security and Development of the North,” the meeting attracted eminent traditional leaders, security stakeholders, and other top government officials to deliberate on the worsening insecurity situation in the North.
The traditional rulers’ council is to issue a communique on the “effective and efficient strategies”of restoring peace, unity, and the livelihoods of the people in the affected 19 states at the end of the parley.
Governor Babagana Zulum and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, had warned that the Northeast was facing serious threats to both lives and property. The duo attributed the resurgence of terrorism, kidnapping and banditry to the Federal Government’s de-prioritisation of the counter-terrorism operations in the Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad region.
