Northern Elders Sound Alarm Over Worsening Bloodshed as Tinubu Faces Pressure to Declare Emergency

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has issued a fiery and urgent appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to declare a state of emergency in Northern Nigeria following what it described as the continuous failure of the federal government to secure lives and property in the region.

This demand comes in the wake of a brutal ambush in Bangi, a community in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, where over 20 Nigerian soldiers were slain by armed terrorists. The attack, which has triggered a new wave of outrage, was condemned in strong terms by NEF, which characterized it as a grim symbol of deepening state failure.

Expressing sorrow and outrage, Professor Abubakar Jiddere, spokesperson for the forum, stated that the northern region is no longer just grappling with isolated criminality but is being systematically overwhelmed by a full-scale insurgency. The audacity displayed by the attackers, he said, is a glaring sign that these armed groups no longer fear state authority.

Jiddere noted that the level of coordination in the recent assault points to a growing sophistication among terrorist cells operating across the North. He remarked that the ambush was not only calculated but also executed with devastating precision, reducing an entire military base into a scene of carnage.

Rather than viewing the attack as an isolated event, NEF stressed that it should be understood as part of a broader and sustained war on the Nigerian state. According to the Forum, Northern Nigeria is now caught in a maelstrom of violence that stretches across multiple states, creating a belt of terror and fear.

Throughout the month of June, the region has witnessed relentless attacks in Benue, Plateau, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Borno, and now Niger State. Entire villages have been torched, families torn apart, and rural populations driven into despair. Yet, the perpetrators of these crimes, NEF said, continue to operate without fear of retaliation or accountability.

The situation has become so dire that, according to Jiddere, entire communities now feel abandoned by the federal government. He stated that many believe they have been left to either negotiate with or flee from terrorists, with no hope of timely rescue or protection. The Forum lamented that soldiers and civilians alike are being sacrificed while national leaders remain disconnected from the painful reality on the ground.

"The boldness of the attackers is no longer surprising," Jiddere said. "What is shocking is the consistent silence or superficial response from the highest offices of government." He argued that the Nigerian state has not only failed to protect its citizens but also failed to acknowledge the scale and seriousness of the threat it faces.

He warned that the Forum would no longer entertain routine government platitudes, press statements, or condolence visits that yield no results. What the North requires now, he emphasized, is an immediate and visible shift in strategy, with focused military operations and intelligence-led campaigns targeting every armed group operating in the region.

The Forum’s statement left little room for ambiguity. It accused the federal government of either underestimating the crisis or, worse, being complicit through negligence. Jiddere stated that the patience of the northern populace has worn thin, and their trust in the federal leadership is being severely eroded.

"The loss of over 20 uniformed defenders of the nation in a single strike should have shaken the nation to its core," he said. "Yet we have seen no urgency, no national mourning, and no promise of aggressive retaliation. Instead, we are seeing a pattern of inaction and evasion."

NEF has now called for a sweeping security overhaul across all affected northern states. It wants the government to initiate collaborative operations involving the military, police, and intelligence agencies with clear directives to dismantle all known terror cells. The Forum demanded that these operations be immediate, decisive, and sustained, without political interference or preferential treatment.

The group also cautioned against further delay. It warned that continued inaction could provoke spontaneous community resistance, leading to more violence and possible breakdowns in civil order. Jiddere hinted that some communities may begin taking security into their own hands, a development that could spiral into even more uncontrollable chaos.

"The federal government is flirting with disaster by underreacting to this crisis," he said. "If people begin to believe that they must arm themselves to survive, then the country is heading towards a complete internal collapse."

NEF further questioned the constitutional relevance of any administration that cannot fulfill its most basic obligation, which is the protection of life and property. The Forum stated bluntly that a government that fails in this duty forfeits its moral and political legitimacy in the eyes of the people.

“The North will not continue to be treated as expendable,” Jiddere concluded. “Our people are not collateral damage. Our soldiers are not sacrificial pawns. Our communities will not continue to endure silence in the face of slaughter.”

While the presidency has yet to issue a formal response to NEF’s demands, political observers are closely watching the Tinubu administration’s next moves. The pressure is mounting, not just from civil society groups and elders, but from a grieving population that is running out of faith in the very institutions meant to protect them.

What remains clear is that the call from the Northern Elders Forum has struck a chord. It echoes a sentiment that is rapidly gaining traction across the country: that the time for half-measures and political hesitation is over. The nation stands at a dangerous crossroads, and history will not be kind to those who chose to look away.