Insecurity: Our people are dying, declare state of emergency – Northern elders tells Tinubu

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency across northern Nigeria, citing the worsening security situation as a national crisis.

The call comes in response to the recent killing of over 20 soldiers in an ambush by terrorists in Bangi, within Niger State’s Mariga Local Government Area. NEF’s spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jiddere, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the attack and describing it as evidence of a total breakdown of security in the region.

Jiddere emphasized that the scale and coordination of the attack where uniformed soldiers were killed by heavily armed insurgents reflects an open declaration of war on the Nigerian state. He warned that the North is effectively under siege.

“What we are facing is not ordinary insecurity it’s a systematic campaign of terror and destruction,” he said. “From Benue to Borno, entire communities are being wiped out while terrorists act with impunity.”

NEF accused the federal government of consistently failing in its constitutional duty to protect lives and property. It warned that public patience is exhausted and that any further inaction could be seen as complicity.

The Forum demanded immediate and aggressive joint military and intelligence operations to locate and eliminate armed groups operating in the region. It also rejected any further symbolic gestures from the government, insisting on tangible and visible action to end the bloodshed.

“The North will no longer remain silent in the face of terror. Our people are dying, our soldiers are being slaughtered, and the government must act decisively or face growing resistance,” NEF concluded.