John Shiklam in Kaduna
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) raised the alarm over worsening security across the country, particularly the escalating killings, abductions, and attacks on communities in the north.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tanimu Muhammad-Baba, the forum said the continued attacks by armed non-state actors had created an atmosphere of fear and despair in several communities.
ACF warned that the situation was threatening the foundation of the Nigerian state, even as it accused the federal government of neglect and inaction over the continuing tide of insecurity in Nigeria.
The forum stated, “Particularly concerning has been the rate at which armed non state actors are allowed free reign to daily wreck violence on citizens, disrupt livelihoods, displace populations and impose a state of anarchy, disillusionment and despair on communities.
“In contrast, elected officials and other politically exposed stakeholders seem more concerned and obsessed with the forthcoming 2027 elections. Delivering governance has become a far distant priority.
“Both scenarios are utterly as disheartening as they are frightening because they strike at the very foundation and pose definite existential threat to Nigeria.”
The statement said the scale of insecurity could be seen in the continued abduction of citizens, including children, across several states.
It stated that scores of children remained in terrorists’ captivity in Borno, Kwara, and other states, while victims abducted around the same period in Oyo State had been rescued and reunited with their families.
ACF said the continued captivity of Nigerians under horrendous conditions required urgent intervention from the government.
It said, “Scores of children remain in the hands of terrorists in Borno, Kwara and other states, although those abducted in Oyo State at the same time as those of Borno have since been rescued and reunited with their families.
“Many other hapless citizens are and continue to be hoarded into the bush and held in captivity under horrendous conditions.”
The forum also drew attention to the situation in Zamfara State, where it said attacks on communities had become almost a daily occurrence.
According to ACF, five separate attacks were recorded in the state on a single day, resulting in deaths, abductions, and looting of property.
It said the frequency of attacks had reached a level where the state appeared to have become a “killing field”.
According to the group, “Penultimate week, there were disturbing attacks by terror gangs on defenceless communities in Zamfara State, where five different incidents were recorded on a single day with, as sadly usual, lives lost and scores of people abducted, and property looted.
“Indeed, on an almost daily basis, the attacks occur at different locations in Zamfara State, as if the State has become a killing field.”
It cited similar attacks recorded in Plateau, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Katsina, and Kogi states.
It also expressed concern over the increasing cases of kidnapping and ransom demands in Chikun Local Government Area and other communities around the Kaduna metropolis.
ACF said the incidents highlighted were only a fraction of the security challenges facing Nigerians.
“The list above is incomplete but suffices to say that the incidents in reference graphically illustrate the bigger picture,” it said.