The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in northern Nigeria, warning that escalating killings, abductions, and violent attacks are now threatening national stability and regional security.
In a communiqué issued Wednesday and signed by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the forum accused security agencies of being overstretched, poorly resourced, and in some cases complicit through silence and inaction, leaving millions of citizens exposed while eroding public trust in government.
The elders cited recent tragedies, including the August 19 massacre at a mosque in Unguwan Mantau Village, where at least 27 worshippers were killed during early morning prayers, displacing hundreds of families. They also pointed to the execution of 35 abductees in Zamfara State despite ransom payments, as well as attacks in Kaduna’s Kauru and Kudan LGAs that left eight people dead and several others injured.
“These incidents are not isolated. They are part of a persistent pattern of organised criminal violence and banditry that have claimed thousands of lives, displaced hundreds of thousands, crippled economic activity, undermined food security, and inflicted deep social and psychological trauma on communities,” Jiddere said.
The forum stressed that the government’s failure to secure citizens amounts to a violation of the 1999 Constitution and international treaties such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which guarantee the right to life.
“The recurring atrocities in Northern Nigeria constitute serious breaches of these obligations, and in their scale and persistence, will amount to crimes against humanity under international law,” the statement warned.
NEF outlined a series of urgent measures for the federal government, including:
- Declaring a state of emergency in the North.
- Deploying adequately trained and equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilians and secure borders.
- Compensating and rehabilitating victims and displaced persons in line with international humanitarian standards.
- Strengthening border control and regional cooperation with ECOWAS and the African Union to prevent cross-border incursions.
- Engaging international partners, including the UN and AU, for technical, security, and humanitarian support.
The forum cautioned that failure to act “decisively, transparently, and urgently” would worsen human suffering, undermine Nigeria’s democracy, and endanger peace across West Africa.
NEF pledged to continue monitoring the situation while mobilising both local and international stakeholders to ensure relief and protection for communities devastated by insecurity.