The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has raised alarm over Nigeria’s deepening insecurity, describing the situation as a “state of war” and calling on the Federal Government to adopt urgent and extraordinary measures to curb the crisis.
This position was outlined in a communiqué issued at the end of the forum’s 38th Board of Trustees meeting held in Abuja.
The meeting was chaired by Bashir Dalhatu and attended by prominent northern figures, including former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, former President of the United Nations General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, and Mahmud Ahmed.
In the communiqué, the ACF noted that Nigeria’s security challenges, ranging from insurgency in the North-East to banditry and mass kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, as well as persistent communal clashes, have escalated into a broader crisis threatening national stability.
The forum stressed that the scale, persistence, and human toll of the violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities, warning that the crisis must now be treated as a national emergency.
According to the ACF, what began as isolated security challenges has evolved into widespread violence that endangers the country’s unity and survival.
It emphasized that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been killed or displaced across states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara, with members of the armed forces, including senior officers, also among the casualties.
The forum lamented that families have been torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, and entire communities left traumatized by the prolonged conflict.
Beyond the human cost, the ACF warned that insecurity is severely undermining Nigeria’s economy, particularly agriculture in the northern region.
It noted that disruptions to farming and supply chains are worsening inflation and accelerating the collapse of rural economies.
The forum argued that prioritizing security is not a diversion from economic development but a necessary foundation for it.
Calling for decisive action, the ACF advocated a wartime approach to the crisis, urging the government to temporarily scale down spending on non-essential projects and redirect national resources toward restoring security.
It maintained that while development remains important, securing the nation must come first, warning that Nigeria has reached a critical juncture where continued violence threatens both lives and the country’s future.
The ACF concluded by urging the Federal Government to take bold, comprehensive, and immediate steps to end the insecurity and restore stability nationwide.
