The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a national security emergency in response to the worsening security situation across Nigeria.
In a statement issued recently and signed by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, the group expressed deep concern over what it described as the continued collapse of security nationwide, warning that urgent and decisive action is needed to prevent the country from descending further into chaos.
The forum stated that many Nigerians now live in fear as criminal groups continue to attack communities, abduct citizens and disrupt economic activities across several parts of the country.
According to the NEF, the constitutional responsibility of government is to protect lives and property, noting that citizens are increasingly being left vulnerable to kidnappers, terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements.
The group said insecurity has spread across several states, including Zamfara State, Katsina State, Kaduna State, Niger State, Plateau State, Benue State, Kogi State, Kwara State, Borno State, Oyo State, Edo State, Enugu State and Imo State, where attacks, kidnappings and violent crimes have become frequent occurrences.
The NEF particularly highlighted the growing menace of kidnapping-for-ransom, describing it as a sophisticated criminal enterprise sustained by weak law enforcement, porous borders, illegal arms proliferation and poor intelligence coordination among security agencies.
It warned that the security crisis is having far-reaching consequences on the nation’s economy and social development, with many farmers abandoning their farmlands, food production declining, rural economies collapsing and investors losing confidence.
The forum also noted that thousands of children are being deprived of education due to insecurity, while many families have been pushed into poverty through ransom payments and displacement.
Expressing concern over what it described as inadequate security presence in affected communities and delayed responses to attacks, the NEF called for a thorough investigation into illegal mining and other economic activities allegedly linked to criminal networks in some parts of the country.
Among its recommendations, the forum urged the Federal Government to strengthen intelligence sharing among security agencies, intensify operations against bandits and kidnappers, prosecute sponsors and financiers of criminal groups, audit illegal mining activities and provide greater protection for farming communities and schools.
The group further called for increased transparency and accountability in security spending.
The NEF stressed that insecurity should not be viewed through political, ethnic or regional lenses, insisting that it remains a national emergency requiring collective action.
“The time for assurances has passed. The time for measurable action is now,” the statement concluded.
