From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The Northern Christian Youth Professionals, NCYP, has called the inauguration of the Board of Trustees for the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund, NNSTF, a significant step toward a coordinated and sustainable approach to addressing insecurity in the region. They urged that the Fund be used as the financial backbone for the Forest Guard and the proposed State Police.
In a press release issued in Kaduna on July 16, 2026, and signed by NCYP Chairman Isaac Abrak, the group congratulated the Northern States Governors’ Forum on establishing the Board. It praised the Co-Chairmen, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, former Minister of Defense, and General Martin Luther Agwai (Rtd.), former Chief of Defense Staff, for accepting leadership of the initiative.
NCYP stated that their extensive experience in public service and national security provides confidence that the Trust Fund can become a catalyst for lasting peace, stability, and sustainable development throughout Northern Nigeria.
The group also welcomed the commitment by the 19 Northern states to contribute ₦1 billion each to the Fund monthly. According to NCYP, this represents about ₦19 billion monthly and approximately ₦228 billion annually, making it one of the most ambitious regionally funded security initiatives in Nigeria’s history.
The organization stressed that the financial commitment should not merely sustain security operations but must transform the region’s security landscape by building enduring institutions capable of protecting lives, reclaiming forests, safeguarding communities, and creating the environment needed for agriculture, commerce, and investment to thrive.
NCYP noted that for years, many Nigerians have questioned what Northern political leaders, traditional rulers, and elders have been doing collectively to confront the region’s worsening security challenges. It said the establishment of the Trust Fund provides a historic opportunity to answer that question with decisive action.
According to the statement, the success of the Fund should not be measured only by the ₦228 billion it is expected to mobilize annually, but by the security outcomes it delivers — the forests it helps reclaim, the communities it protects, the confidence it restores, and the economic activities it revives.
NCYP added that beyond improving security, the Fund offers Northern Nigeria an opportunity to demonstrate that within Nigeria’s federal system, the region is prepared to take greater ownership of its security challenges through collective leadership and strategic investment, while still partnering with the Federal Government.
The group argued that lasting peace cannot depend solely on central security institutions. It said security must be taken closer to the people, where threats first emerge, intelligence is gathered, and criminal activities can be disrupted before they escalate.
Against this backdrop, NCYP welcomed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s implementation of the Forest Guard Initiative and the growing advocacy by several governors, particularly Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, for the establishment of State Police.
The organization described the Forest Guard and the proposed State Police as complementary reforms that should work together as part of a modern, layered security architecture. It explained that the Forest Guard secures forests and ungoverned spaces that have become bases for terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers. At the same time, State Police will strengthen community policing, intelligence gathering, and rapid response.
NCYP said the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund has a unique opportunity to become the financial backbone supporting these reforms by ensuring that Northern states have the capacity required to protect their people and territories effectively.
The group recommended that the Fund support the continued expansion and strengthening of the Forest Guard across Northern Nigeria, noting that while some states have commenced recruitment and training, many are still at early stages, and others have yet to start.
Similarly, NCYP said that as Nigeria moves toward establishing State Police, the Trust Fund should prepare to complement state governments by supporting professional State Police Commands with training, personnel welfare, operational vehicles, communications systems, intelligence infrastructure, surveillance technology, and other essential logistics.
To achieve this, NCYP urged the Board of Trustees to establish dedicated intervention programs that strengthen both the Forest Guard and the proposed State Police by investing sustainably in human capacity, equipment, and operational readiness.
The organization also called for joint planning, intelligence sharing, interoperability, and regular training exercises among Northern states to ensure that the Forest Guard, future State Police Commands, and federal security agencies operate in a coordinated manner.
NCYP maintained that the ultimate objective of the Trust Fund should be to ensure that every Northern state attains a minimum operational capacity to secure its territory. It warned that a situation where some states are stronger while others remain under-resourced creates vulnerabilities that criminals can exploit.
“Terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers do not recognize state boundaries. They move towards areas where security gaps exist. This is why regional security cooperation and balanced capacity across all Northern states are essential,” the statement said.
It is for this reason, NCYP stated, that “the security of Northern Nigeria is only as strong as the security of its weakest state.”
The group said the success of the Trust Fund will therefore depend not only on the resources it mobilizes, but on its ability to ensure that no Northern state is left behind in building effective security institutions.
NCYP commended President Tinubu for implementing the Forest Guard Initiative and Governor Uba Sani for his consistent advocacy for State Police and for Kaduna State’s proactive implementation of the Forest Guard, including the training of pioneer recruits.
The organization also commended the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, His Excellency Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, Northern Governors, traditional rulers, eminent elders, and members of the Board of Trustees for demonstrating collective leadership.
NCYP urged the Board to ensure that transparency, accountability, measurable outcomes, and regional cooperation remain the guiding principles of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund.
It concluded that through sustained investment in the Forest Guard, support for the proposed State Police, and stronger cooperation among states and security institutions, the Trust Fund can leave a lasting legacy of peace, stability, and economic recovery in Northern Nigeria.
The organization said it will also release a comprehensive policy memorandum with detailed recommendations on how the Fund can support the expansion of the Forest Guard, prepare for State Police, and strengthen an integrated grassroots security framework across the region.
