Northern Governors meet in Kaduna to discuss challenges

According to the Punch, the Governors will also address issues relating to restructuring of the country.

Speaking to newsmen, the chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima told newsmen that it will be a disservice to Nigerians if the Governors do not work out a lasting solution to the security issues in the region.

Shettima also thanked President Buhari for his efforts towards ensuring the safe return of the girls who were abducted from a school in Dapchi, Yobe state by Boko Haram.

According to him, "As elected leaders, it is our primary responsibility to take a hard and critical look at these conflicts and come up with implementable ways and means of addressing them squarely.

“It is also critically important, as a long term measure, devise viable strategies to forestall all forms of security challenges that may likely erupt in the future.

“However, I need to emphasize that whatever resolutions we may arrive at, should be without prejudice to the various commendable and comprehensive measures being put in place by the Federal Government in addressing the security challenges; especially the recent abduction of the Dapchi School Girls.

“We appreciate and commend the efforts being made by President Muhammadu Buhari in the Dapchi crisis by ensuring the deployment of all necessary security personnel and equipment towards the rescue of the abducted girls.”

“There is need to pay particular attention to the root causes of such conflicts and their seemingly intractable nature with an open mind and from an unbiased perspective, in order to arrive at comprehensive means of addressing them.

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“We should, in the process, also avoid imputing political, ethnic or religious colorations to the conflicts.

“We may recall that the concept of restructuring, at the initial stage, had taken various dimensions which included resource control, regionalism and geo-political divisions among others.

“So it was imperative that the North as a region like other regions of the Federation should have a common position on the issue; hence the establishment of the committee,” he added.

Dapchi school girls smuggled out of Nigeria

According reports, the students of Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who were abducted by Boko Haram on Monday, February 19, 2018, have been smuggled to the Republic of Niger.

Daily Post also says that the girls were abducted by the Musab Albarnawi faction of Boko Haram.