From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, and his Katsina State counterpart, Umaru Dikko Radda, have held closed-door meetings with Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The two strategic meetings took place on Tuesday at the Ministry of Defence and at the office of the National Security Adviser.
A statement on Wednesday by the spokesperson for the Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the meetings discussed extensively recommendations from the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) Security Committee.
The statement noted that the group had organized a two-day roundtable discussion in Abuja on January 23, 2024, chaired by former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.
According to the statement, “Yesterday (Tuesday), Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State and Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State met with Defence Minister Badaru Abubakar at the Ministry of Defence in Abuja.
“The governors deliberated on crucial issues concerning insecurity and explored ways to enhance collaboration between the two states and the Ministry of Defence.
“After the meeting at the Ministry of Defence, both governors and the Minister proceeded to the office of the National Security Adviser for another meeting on insecurity.
“The meeting at the National Security Adviser’s office adopted the recommendations of the Security Summit hosted by the CNG.
“The adoption of the security committee’s recommendations marks a significant milestone in addressing the complex insecurity issues in Northern Nigeria.
“These are part of the strategies and collaborations that the Katsina and Zamfara state governors are using to combat the issue of banditry in their respective states.”
The statement said that the CNG was represented at the meeting by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Nastura Ashiru Shariff, and Chairman of the group’s Security Committee, Alhaji Bashir Yusuf.