Governors of the 36 states of the federation on Wednesday met in Abuja under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), amid growing concerns over insecurity across the country.

The meeting was chaired by NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Governors in attendance included Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Bassey Otu of Cross River, Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa. Deputy governors also represented some state governors at the meeting.

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Although the agenda of the meeting had not been made public as of the time of filing the report, the worsening security situation, including kidnapping, banditry and terrorism, is expected to feature prominently in the deliberations.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of renewed concerns over the country’s capacity to tackle insecurity. Nigerian journalist Rufai Oseni, speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, argued that Nigeria is not yet ready to end the security challenges confronting the country.

Oseni attributed the persistence of insecurity to what he described as deep-seated complicity within sections of the government and elite class, rather than a lack of resources. He cited the recent attack in Woro, Kwara State, where bandits reportedly killed residents despite prior information allegedly provided to security authorities.

He also questioned how the attackers allegedly knew that residents had alerted security agencies about the impending threat, raising concerns about possible information leaks and weaknesses within the security system.