The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has declared that Nigeria’s security situation has escalated to a “state of war,” urging the Federal Government to urgently adopt extraordinary measures to address the crisis.
This position was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 38th meeting of the ACF Board of Trustees held in Abuja.
The meeting, presided over by the Chairman of the Board, Bashir Dalhatu, brought together prominent northern leaders, including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mahmud Ahmed, ex-Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and former President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, among others.
In the communiqué, the forum said Nigeria’s security challenges have gone beyond insurgency, banditry and communal clashes to a full-scale crisis threatening the country’s survival.
“The scale, persistence and human cost of violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the ACF said, stressing that the situation must now be treated as an overriding national emergency.
The forum lamented that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been killed or displaced across states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger and Kwara, noting that the casualties also include members of the armed forces.
According to the ACF, the humanitarian toll of the crisis has left families shattered, livelihoods destroyed and communities traumatised, while the nation’s economy continues to suffer severe setbacks.
It further warned that insecurity is crippling agricultural activities, particularly in northern Nigeria, disrupting supply chains and worsening inflation.
“Redirecting national resources toward security is not a diversion from economic development; it is a prerequisite for it,” the communiqué stated.
The forum called on the Federal Government to adopt what it described as a “wartime approach,” including the temporary suspension or scaling down of non-essential projects to concentrate resources on tackling insecurity.
It stressed that while development remains important, restoring security must take precedence.
“Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads. The escalating security crisis threatens not just lives, but the very stability and future of the nation,” the ACF warned.
The group concluded that until Nigerians can live, work and travel without fear, meaningful national progress would remain unattainable, urging decisive and comprehensive action to secure the country without further delay.