By Ayo Kehinde
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately declare a national security emergency, warning that Nigeria risks sliding further into chaos unless urgent measures are taken to dismantle banditry networks, investigate illegal mining operations, and restore public confidence in the country’s security architecture.
The group in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, said the worsening security situation across the country has reached a critical point, necessitating extraordinary intervention by the Federal Government to halt what it described as the relentless collapse of security nationwide.
The Forum particularly demanded comprehensive investigations into illegal mining activities and other forms of resource exploitation allegedly linked to insecurity in several parts of the country, arguing that criminal networks continue to thrive where governance and regulatory oversight are weak.
According to the NEF, every individual and organisation operating within Nigeria must be subject to Nigerian laws and held accountable to the country’s institutions, warning that criminal economic activities have increasingly become drivers of insecurity.
“The Northern Elders Forum therefore calls on the Federal Government to immediately declare a National Security Emergency and implement extraordinary measures to reverse the current trajectory,” the statement said.
The forum also called for the immediate restructuring and strengthening of intelligence coordination among security agencies, alongside aggressive disruption of kidnapping and banditry networks through sustained security operations and deployment of modern surveillance technologies.
In addition, the group demanded full investigation and prosecution of sponsors, collaborators, financiers, and beneficiaries of violent criminal organisations, irrespective of their political status, ethnic background, religious affiliation, or social influence.
The NEF further urged authorities to undertake a comprehensive audit of illegal mining operations and other criminal economic activities linked to insecurity, while enhancing protection for farming communities, schools, transportation corridors, and vulnerable rural populations across the country.
It also advocated greater transparency and accountability in security spending and operational outcomes, stressing that Nigerians deserve clear evidence that resources allocated to security are translating into improved safety and effective law enforcement.
Expressing deep concern over the state of insecurity, the Forum said no nation can claim meaningful progress when its citizens live in fear and communities remain under constant threat from criminal elements.
Citing Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,” the NEF questioned why millions of Nigerians increasingly find themselves vulnerable to kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, and organised criminal gangs.
The Forum noted that while Nigeria has historically confronted numerous security threats, including the Civil War, Maitatsine uprisings, Niger Delta militancy, sectarian violence, armed robbery, and the Boko Haram insurgency, the country is currently facing an unprecedented situation in which multiple forms of insecurity are spreading simultaneously across virtually all regions.
According to the elders, violence has become a recurring feature of daily life in many parts of the country, stretching from the forests of Zamfara and Katsina States to highways in Kaduna and Niger States, and from communities in Plateau and Benue States to parts of Kogi, Kwara, Borno, Oyo, Edo, Enugu, and Imo States.
The statement lamented that communities continue to suffer attacks, citizens are routinely abducted, farmers are displaced from their lands, travellers are ambushed on major highways, and businesses are forced to operate under persistent uncertainty and fear.
The Forum expressed particular concern over the growing normalisation of mass abductions and kidnapping-for-ransom, describing the trend as a sophisticated criminal economy sustained by weak law enforcement, porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, and inadequate intelligence sharing.
It warned that the consequences of the worsening insecurity are already having severe economic and social impacts, with farmers abandoning farmlands, food production declining, rural economies weakening, and investor confidence eroding.
The NEF also pointed to disruptions in education, increasing poverty caused by ransom payments and displacement, and the growing vulnerability of entire communities living under constant threat of attack.
While acknowledging repeated assurances by government officials, the Forum said many affected communities continue to report inadequate security presence, delayed intervention during attacks, and limited prosecution of perpetrators.
“The patience of citizens is not unlimited. Governments derive legitimacy from their ability to protect lives, uphold the rule of law, and maintain public order. Where insecurity persists unchecked, public trust inevitably erodes,” the statement said.
Describing the security crisis as a national emergency rather than a regional, ethnic, or partisan issue, the NEF urged the Federal Government to move beyond assurances and adopt measurable actions capable of restoring security, protecting lives, and preserving national unity.
“The time for assurances has passed. The time for measurable action is now,” the Forum added.
