The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has asked President Bola Tinubu to urgently declare a state of emergency in the northern region, warning that the worsening insecurity threatens Nigeria’s stability and could push communities into lawlessness.
In a statement signed by NEF spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, the elders said violent attacks, kidnappings, and killings have crippled social and economic life in the region. They cautioned that failure to act quickly would jeopardise national cohesion, democratic sustainability, and regional peace.
The forum recalled the August 19 attack on a mosque in Unguwan Mantau Village, where gunmen killed 27 worshippers during morning prayers, leaving many injured and hundreds displaced.
They also highlighted the killing of 35 kidnap victims in Zamfara despite ransom payments, and separate assaults in Kaduna’s Kauru and Kudan LGAs that left eight people dead and eight others wounded.
Jiddere said: “Declaring a State of Emergency in Northern Nigeria, acknowledging the extraordinary scale of the crisis.
“Deploying adequately trained, armed, and equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilian populations and secure international border regions.
“Provide adequate compensation, rehabilitation, and humanitarian assistance to victims including displaced persons, in line with international humanitarian standards.”
He added that Nigeria must also work with neighbouring countries under ECOWAS and AU agreements to check cross-border banditry, while seeking technical and humanitarian support from partners like the UN.
The elders faulted the current security system, describing it as weak, overstretched, and in some cases complicit by inaction. This, they said, has left citizens “vulnerable and helpless while eroding public trust in government institutions.”
Quoting international law, Jiddere reminded authorities that: “Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), states that the inherent right to life shall be protected by law, and no one shall arbitrarily be deprived of life.”
He warned that the ongoing atrocities in the North amount to serious breaches of these obligations and, given their scale, could qualify as crimes against humanity.
The NEF promised to keep monitoring the situation while engaging with both local and international stakeholders to push for urgent relief for northern communities.
