Declare emergency on insecurity in north, northern elders tell Tinubu

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has asked President Bola Tinubu to declare an emergency on insecurity in the north.

The north has witnessed renewed attacks by gunmen in the north-central and north-west, while the north-east grapples with insurgency.

On June 13, assailants attacked Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma LGA of Benue, killing over 200 people, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and farmers.

On Tuesday, 20 soldiers were reportedly killed when bandits overran a military base in Mariga LGA of Niger state.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Abubakar Jiddere, NEF spokesperson, said the north is plagued by frequent killings. 

“More than 20 uniformed men, defenders of the nation, were slaughtered like animals by a gang of well-armed terrorists who launched a brazen, coordinated ambush that completely overwhelmed the base,” the statement reads.

“This is not just an attack, it is a declaration of war against the Nigerian state, and the state is losing.

“This barbaric assault is only the latest chapter in the ongoing bloodbath that has turned Northern Nigeria into a war zone throughout June 2025.

“From Benue to Plateau, from Kwara to Kaduna, and from Zamfara to Sokoto, Borno, and now Niger, what we are witnessing is not mere insecurity, it is an unrelenting campaign of terror, mass murder, and state failure.

“Entire communities are being wiped out, homes torched, lives shattered, and still, the killers roam freely, unchallenged, and unpunished.”

Jiddere said the federal government has “failed abysmally and consistently” in protecting lives and properties.

“The truth is stark and undeniable,” he said.

He said the north is “drowning in blood, its people abandoned”, adding that security forces have not done enough to quell the attacks.

“The Northern Elders Forum will no longer accept hollow condolences, tired speeches, or sterile press releases. Nigerians deserve visible, aggressive, and accountable action now,” Jiddere.

“If the federal government continues to delay, deflect, or downplay this crisis, the Nigerian people will have no choice but to believe, rightly or wrongly, that this inaction is willful, or worse, complicit.

“The forum demands the immediate declaration of a state of emergency on security across northern Nigeria.

“This must be followed by decisive, joint military and intelligence operations with the sole objective of locating and eliminating every single terrorist and armed group threatening our people, regardless of who shelters them or where they operate.

“The blood of northern Nigerians is not cheap. Our soldiers are not cannon fodder.

“Our citizens will not continue to die silently while a complacent government watches from a distance.

“The NEF warns in the clearest possible terms that the continued federal inaction will provoke open resistance.”

Jiddere added the people are running out of patience and won’t remain silent while the region “kneels before terror.”