CIMBO backs MBF, rejects ₦1bn monthly security levy for Northern trust fund

The Coalition of Indigenous Middle Belt Organisations (CIMBO) has endorsed the Middle Belt Forum’s (MBF) rejection of the proposed monthly ₦1 billion contribution by northern governors to the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund (NNSTF), urging governors of Middle Belt states to invest the funds in strengthening security within their respective states.

In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Prof. Ejeikwu Emmanuel Oloja, and Secretary, Dr. Billy Ishaya Laah, the coalition said the proposed contributions would be better utilised to support community-based security initiatives, including local vigilante groups, intelligence gathering, improved communication networks among states, local government areas and communities, as well as the resettlement and protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

CIMBO said its position aligns with that earlier expressed by the MBF through its spokesman, Luka Binniyat, maintaining that security resources should remain under the direct control of individual states to address the peculiar security challenges confronting the Middle Belt.

According to the coalition, channeling the funds into practical, community-driven security measures would produce better results than contributing to a regional trust fund whose objectives and operational framework, it argued, remain unclear.

The organisation questioned the rationale for establishing the NNSTF, saying its purpose and the proposed deployment of the fund had not been sufficiently defined to justify such significant public expenditure.

It argued that any security arrangement that does not expressly guarantee the protection of Middle Belt communities cannot adequately serve the interests of the region.

CIMBO further alleged that the proposed trust fund was not designed to protect the interests of the Middle Belt and could ultimately work against the region’s security and political interests. It also questioned why governors from the region should commit resources to a security initiative whose objectives, in its view, remain uncertain.

The coalition therefore urged governors of Middle Belt states to reject participation in the funding arrangement and instead invest directly in initiatives capable of tackling terrorism, armed banditry, communal violence and other security threats affecting their communities.

However, the coalition’s position differs from that of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, which established the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund following a joint meeting with the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council in Kaduna.

Under the arrangement, each of the 19 northern states is expected to contribute ₦1 billion monthly to support regional security coordination, intelligence sharing and logistics.

The governors have maintained that the trust fund is intended to complement federal security efforts through stronger collaboration among security agencies and traditional institutions.

Beyond the security debate, CIMBO renewed its call for the recognition of the Middle Belt as a distinct socio-political region. It argued that there is no single “Northern Nigerian Region”, insisting that the North-East and North-West should be recognised as separate regions, while the present North-Central should formally be acknowledged as the Middle Belt Region.

The coalition said the concept of a single Northern region has historically been used to politically dominate the peoples of the Middle Belt, adding that this history informed its opposition to the proposed security fund.

CIMBO described itself as an umbrella body representing socio-cultural organisations across Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Taraba, the Federal Capital Territory and indigenous communities in parts of Southern Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Kebbi and Northern Cross River.

It said its ideological roots trace back to the political movement led by the late Joseph Sarwuan Tarka, Patrick Dokotri, David Lot and Gwamna Awan, whose efforts culminated in the establishment of the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) in 1957 to advance the political rights and identity of minority ethnic nationalities in the region.

The coalition added that the Middle Belt occupies a strategic position in Nigeria because of its population, electoral significance and geographical location, while also bearing the brunt of recurring farmer-herder conflicts, terrorism, banditry and communal violence that have displaced hundreds of thousands of residents across several states.