“Enough is Enough”: Northern Leaders Urge Tinubu to Declare State of Emergency in the North Over Insecurity

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on security in northern Nigeria, following what it described as the worsening collapse of security across the region.

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jiddere, the forum condemned the recent killing of over 20 soldiers in Bangi, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, calling it a grim indication that terrorists have declared war on the Nigerian state.

“The North is drowning in blood, its people abandoned, while security forces either cannot respond or are completely absent. We will no longer accept hollow condolences, tired speeches, or empty press statements. Nigerians deserve visible, aggressive, and accountable action now,” Jiddere said.

He described the violence engulfing the North as a campaign of terror and mass murder that has led to entire communities being wiped out, homes burned, and countless lives destroyed while attackers roam freely. He warned that the government’s failure to act decisively is eroding its legitimacy and fueling anger across the region.

NEF demanded that the government declare an immediate state of emergency on security in the North and launch coordinated military and intelligence operations to track down and eliminate terrorists and armed groups, wherever they are and regardless of who protects them.

“The blood of Northern Nigerians is not cheap. Our soldiers are not cannon fodder. Our citizens will not continue to die silently while a complacent government watches from a distance,” the forum stated.

It warned that continued federal inaction could provoke open resistance, declaring that the patience of the North has run out. “Enough is enough. We will not be silent. The North will not kneel before terror,” the statement concluded.