ACF: insecurity now ‘state of war’
• North’s elders seek urgent national reset The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said Nigeria’s worsening insecurity has reached a “state of war” level. It warned that the crisis now
• North’s elders seek urgent national reset
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said Nigeria’s worsening insecurity has reached a “state of war” level.
It warned that the crisis now poses a grave threat to the country’s continued existence.
The ACF stated this in a communiqué it issued yesterday following its 38th Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting in Abuja at the weekend.
The meeting, presided over by the BoT Chairman, Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu (Wazirin Dutse), was attended by several prominent northern leaders, including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, and a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji M. D. Abubakar.
Other notable participants included former President of the United Nations General Assembly, Prof. Tijjani Mohammed Bande; former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and legal luminary, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN).
Some members of the forum joined the meeting virtually.
The communique stated that the meeting’s deliberations focused on the deteriorating security situation across the country, particularly in the North, where insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, and communal conflicts have escalated.
It noted that “Nigeria’s security challenges have gone beyond routine governance concerns, evolving into widespread violent conflicts cutting across the North-East, North-West and North-Central regions”.
READ ALSO: What terrorism’s new surge demands
The ACF warned that the scale, persistence, and human cost of the violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities.
The forum urged the Federal Government to treat insecurity as the country’s foremost emergency.
The ACF decried the killing and displacement of thousands of Nigerians in Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara, with many families shattered and livelihoods destroyed.
The forum noted that the crisis has also claimed the lives of several military personnel, including senior officers, further underscoring the gravity of the situation.
It stressed that insecurity is taking a heavy toll on the economy, particularly agriculture in the North, where farming activities have been severely disrupted, worsening inflation, and weakening rural economies.
ACF stressed that redirecting national resources towards security should not be seen as a diversion from development but as a necessary condition for sustainable economic growth.
It called for a “war-time approach,” urging the government to scale down non-essential spending and channel resources, leadership and national energy towards ending the security crisis.
The forum added that Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads and must act decisively to restore peace.
The ACF insisted that securing the nation remains the foundation upon which all other national aspirations depend.
