Insecurity: Northern Elders Urge Tinubu to Declare State of Emergency
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the North, warning that worsening insecurity has crippled the region’s socio-economic life and now threatens Nigeria’s stability.
In a communiqué signed by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, the forum expressed grave concern over persistent violent attacks, abductions, and killings, cautioning that failure to act could trigger widespread self-help measures and plunge the country into anarchy.
The elders stressed that without urgent intervention, national cohesion, democratic stability, and regional peace could be jeopardized. They therefore called on the Tinubu administration to declare a state of emergency in line with the constitution and Nigeria’s international obligations to protect lives and property.
NEF recalled several recent attacks, including the August 19 assault on a mosque in Unguwan Mantau village, where 27 worshippers were killed during morning prayers, leaving many others injured and hundreds displaced. The forum also cited the execution of 35 abductees in Zamfara State despite ransom payments, alongside fresh attacks in Kauru and Kudan Local Government Areas of Kaduna State that claimed eight lives and injured eight more.
“The extraordinary scale of the crisis demands extraordinary action,” Jiddere said. “Declaring a state of emergency is necessary, alongside deploying adequately trained and equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilians and secure border regions.”
The forum further urged government to provide adequate compensation, rehabilitation, and humanitarian support for victims and displaced persons, in line with international standards. It also called for stronger border controls, regional security cooperation under ECOWAS and the African Union, and engagement with global partners including the UN and AU for technical and humanitarian assistance.
Jiddere lamented that the country’s security architecture remains overstretched, inadequate, and in some cases complicit through inaction, leaving citizens vulnerable and eroding public trust.
Quoting Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), he stressed that recurring atrocities in Northern Nigeria represent a serious breach of Nigeria’s obligations, which could amount to crimes against humanity under international law.
The NEF pledged to continue monitoring developments while working with national and international stakeholders to secure urgent relief for affected communities. In
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