The Northern States Governors’ Forum has asked President Bola Tinubu to suspend mining exploration in the North for six months amid worsening violent killings and kidnappings.

The governors said this in a communique after a joint meeting with the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council in Kaduna on Monday.

“The forum observed that illegal mining has become a major contributory factor to the security crises in northern Nigeria,” said the governors in the communique. “The forum therefore resolved to strongly recommend to the president to direct the honourable minister of solid minerals to suspend mining exploration for a period of six months to allow proper audit.”

The governors urged Mr Tinubu to “subject all mining licences to revalidation for a period of six months in active consultation with the various state governors and in the process arrest the menace of artisanal illegal mining”.

While acknowledging the efforts of the Tinubu government and security agencies to stop the violence, the governors reaffirmed their support and commitment to the establishment of state police, urging federal lawmakers in the North to expedite action to actualise it.

The governors said they set up “a regional security trust fund to be funded with monthly contributions of N1 billion from each state and local governments to be deducted at source under a framework to be agreed upon”.