Sunday, June 29, 2025 - The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in northern Nigeria, citing the worsening insecurity that has left communities under siege.
The forum condemned the killing of over 20 soldiers in
Bangi, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, describing it as a clear
sign of total security collapse in the region.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Prof Abubakar Jiddere,
NEF expressed deep pain over the ambush, warning that the scale and boldness of
the attacks show terrorists have effectively declared war on Nigeria.
“The North is drowning in blood, its people abandoned,
while security forces either cannot respond or are completely absent. We will
no longer accept hollow condolences, tired speeches, or empty press statements.
Nigerians deserve visible, aggressive, and accountable action now,” Jiddere
said.
He described the violence spreading across the North as more
than mere insecurity, calling it “an unrelenting campaign of terror, mass
murder, and state failure,” with entire communities wiped out, homes burned,
and lives destroyed while attackers roam free.
“More than
20 uniformed men, defenders of the nation, were slaughtered like animals by a
gang of well-armed terrorists who launched a coordinated ambush that completely
overwhelmed the base,” Jiddere said. “This is not just an attack; it is a
declaration of war against the Nigerian state, and the state is losing.”
NEF said the government has failed in its constitutional
duty to protect lives and property, warning that patience in the region has run
out.
“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.
“The
patience of our people has run out. The legitimacy of any government that
cannot or will not protect its citizens is gone. Enough is enough. We will not
be silent. The North will not kneel before terror.”
The forum demanded an immediate state of emergency on
security across northern Nigeria, followed by decisive joint military and
intelligence operations to root out terrorists and armed groups “wherever they
operate and whoever protects them.”
“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 statement said.
NEF warned that continued federal inaction could provoke
open resistance. “
The patience
of our people has run out. The legitimacy of any government that cannot or will
not protect its citizens is gone. Enough is enough. We will not be silent. The
North will not kneel before terror.”
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