Northern group asks Tinubu to declare state of emergency on insecurity

The Northern Ethnic Nationals Forum (NENF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on insecurity in the country.

A statement on Sunday by Dominic Alancha, convener of the forum, said the security situation in the north has “degenerated into a full-blown catastrophe”.

Alancha said bandits, terrorists and kidnappers have continued to ravage communities, forcing farmers away from their fields and making highways unsafe.

“The current service chiefs, despite the enormous resources allocated to them, have failed to conceive and execute effective strategies to abate this menace,” he said.

“Their tenure has been marked by an alarming increase in audacious attacks and a palpable sense of despair among our people.”

The forum said declaring a state of emergency is not a call for militarisation, but a targeted operation to flush out terrorists and restore order.

The group also claimed that several ministers in the Tinubu’s cabinet have underperformed.

“Many current ministers have demonstrated a profound inability to translate policy into tangible results or build the political goodwill necessary to solidify the administration’s standing,” Alancha said.

The forum commended Tinubu for his “courageous reforms” such as the removal of fuel subsidy and the harmonisation of foreign exchange rates, but urged deeper consolidation to cushion the hardship.

The northern group called for more transparent palliatives, investment in agriculture and manufacturing, and improvements in power and transport infrastructure.

“The Nigerian people are suffering. The economic squeeze, the insecurity, and the social anxiety have gone far beyond rhetoric,” Alancha said.

“We call on Mr. President to personally and visibly identify with the pains of Nigerians. A government that shares in the burden of its people inspires unity and resilience in the face of adversity.”

The group said its intervention was born out of patriotism and not malice, adding that its support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 will depend on his ability to govern effectively.