The Northern Elders Forum has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in northern Nigeria, citing the worsening scale of insecurity and the government’s constitutional and international obligation to protect lives.
In a communiqué signed by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, on Wednesday, the forum demanded, “a state of emergency in northern Nigeria, acknowledging the extraordinary scale of the crisis.”
It called on the government to “Deploy adequately trained armed, and equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilian populations and secure international border regions.”
NEF expressed grave concern over the spate of violent attacks, abductions, and killings across the region, warning that continued inaction could endanger Nigeria’s stability and regional peace.
The NEF lamented that security agencies remain overstretched, under-resourced, and in some cases complicit through silence or inaction, leaving citizens vulnerable and eroding public trust in government.
The forum recalled the August 19 attack on a mosque in Unguwan Mantau village, where at least 27 worshippers were killed during early morning prayers, with several others injured and hundreds displaced. It also condemned the execution of 35 abductees in Zamfara State despite ransom payments, as well as separate attacks in Kauru and Kudan LGAs of Kaduna State, which left eight people dead and eight others severely injured.
Jiddere said: “These incidents are not isolated cases but part of a persistent pattern of organised criminal violence and banditry that have claimed thousands of lives, displaced hundreds of thousands, crippled economic activities, undermined food security, and inflicted deep psychological and social trauma on communities.
“The recurring atrocities in northern Nigeria constitute serious breaches of Nigeria’s constitutional and international obligations. In their scale and persistence, they may amount to crimes against humanity under international law.”*
Citing the 1999 Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the forum stressed that the government has a binding duty to safeguard lives.
The NEF urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Northern Nigeria, deploy adequately trained and equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilians and secure border regions, and provide compensation, rehabilitation, and humanitarian support to victims, including displaced persons, in line with international standards.
It also called for stronger border control and regional cooperation with ECOWAS and the African Union to stem cross-border incursions by armed groups, as well as active engagement with international partners such as the AU and the UN for technical and humanitarian assistance.
The forum warned that “continued inaction or insufficient responses will not only exacerbate human suffering but also jeopardise national cohesion, democratic sustainability, and regional peace.”
It pledged to continue monitoring developments while engaging stakeholders nationally and internationally to secure urgent relief for affected communities.
However, when contacted by The PUNCH, the Director-General of Press Affairs at the Gombe State Government House, Ismaila Misilli, said the Northern States Governors’ Forum, chaired by Governor Inuwa Yahaya, had yet to take a position on the NEF’s demand.
“The Northern States Governors’ Forum has yet to meet on the issue. The governor will need the input of his colleague governors after studying it carefully,” Misilli said.
