The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a national security emergency, citing the worsening security situation across the country.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, the Forum warned that Nigeria’s security challenges had reached a critical level and required urgent, decisive action to prevent the nation from descending into anarchy.
The NEF said millions of Nigerians now live in fear as communities continue to suffer attacks from criminal groups, while law-abiding citizens remain increasingly vulnerable.
“The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) expresses its deepest outrage and concern over the relentless deterioration of security across the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No nation can claim progress when its citizens live in fear, its communities are under siege, and criminal elements operate with increasing boldness while millions of law-abiding citizens remain vulnerable,” the statement read.
Citing Section 14(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution, the Forum emphasized that the protection of lives and property remains the primary responsibility of government.
“Today, Nigerians are compelled to ask a painful but legitimate question: if the protection of lives and property is the foremost duty of government, why are citizens increasingly left to defend themselves against kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, violent extremists, and organized criminal gangs?” it asked.
The Forum acknowledged that Nigeria has faced several security challenges since independence, including civil unrest, militancy, armed robbery, and insurgency. However, it argued that the current wave of insecurity is unprecedented in both scale and geographical spread.
According to the NEF, attacks, kidnappings, and other violent crimes have become widespread across several states, including Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Borno, Oyo, Edo, Enugu, and Imo.
“From the forests of Zamfara and Katsina to the highways of Kaduna and Niger; from communities in Plateau and Benue to parts of Kogi, Kwara, Borno, Oyo, Edo, Enugu, Imo and beyond, violence has become a recurring feature of daily life. Communities are attacked, citizens are abducted, farmers are displaced from their lands, travellers are ambushed on major highways, and businesses are forced to operate under conditions of uncertainty and fear,” the statement added.
The Forum expressed particular concern over the growing menace of kidnapping-for-ransom, describing it as a thriving criminal enterprise driven by weak law enforcement, porous borders, the proliferation of illegal arms, and poor intelligence coordination among security agencies.
The NEF urged the Federal Government to take immediate and comprehensive measures to restore security, protect citizens, and rebuild public confidence in the nation’s security architecture.
