The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s worsening security situation, declaring that the crisis has escalated into a “state of war.”
The forum urged the Federal Government to urgently reassess its national priorities and treat security as the country’s most pressing emergency.
This position was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the ACF Board of Trustees’ 38th meeting held on Wednesday and signed by its chairman, Bashir Dalhatu.
According to the communiqué, deliberations at the meeting focused extensively on the persistent violence across the country, with participants concluding that Nigeria’s security challenges have gone beyond isolated incidents of insurgency, banditry, and communal clashes to become widespread threats to national stability.
The forum noted that insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, as well as recurring farmer-herder conflicts, have combined to create a dangerous and complex security environment requiring urgent and decisive action.
“The scale, persistence, and human cost of the violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the forum stated, stressing that the crisis should no longer be treated as one of many governance issues but as the nation’s overriding emergency.
ACF expressed deep concern over the human toll of the crisis, noting that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been killed or displaced in states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara. It added that victims include members of the armed forces, including senior officers.
The forum lamented that families have been torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, and entire communities traumatised, warning of severe long-term social consequences if the trend continues.
It also highlighted the economic impact of insecurity, particularly on agriculture, which remains the backbone of the northern economy. According to the group, farming activities have been significantly disrupted, contributing to food shortages, rising inflation, and the collapse of rural livelihoods.
“Insecurity is now directly undermining Nigeria’s economy. The longer the crisis persists, the more expensive it becomes to fix,” the communiqué stated.
The ACF emphasised that redirecting national resources to address insecurity should not be seen as a setback to development but as a necessary step toward achieving sustainable growth.
It called on the government to adopt what it described as a “war-time approach,” including temporarily suspending or scaling down non-essential spending and channeling resources toward ending the security crisis.
“Extraordinary threats require extraordinary measures,” the forum said.
Warning that Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads, the ACF said the escalating violence poses a serious threat to national unity and the country’s future.
It urged the government to act with urgency and clarity by mobilising all available resources and demonstrating strong leadership in tackling insecurity.
The communiqué concluded that until Nigerians can live, travel, and work without fear—particularly in rural communities—meaningful national development will remain out of reach.
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