The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has raised fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in Nigeria, warning that persistent attacks by bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements are threatening the country’s economy and food production.
The forum said the growing insecurity across several parts of the country has forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands, disrupted economic activities and deepened poverty in rural communities.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the forum described the current security situation as a national emergency that requires urgent and decisive intervention by the Federal Government.
According to the forum, no nation can achieve meaningful progress when citizens live in fear and communities remain vulnerable to attacks from criminal groups.
NEF noted that communities across states including Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Borno, Oyo, Edo, Enugu and Imo have continued to suffer from violent attacks, kidnappings and other forms of criminality.
The forum lamented that farmers are increasingly being displaced from their lands, resulting in declining food production and worsening food insecurity across the country.
“The consequences are devastating. Farmers are abandoning farmlands. Food production is declining. Rural economies are collapsing. Investors are losing confidence. Children are deprived of education, while families are being pushed into poverty by ransom payments and displacement,” the statement said.
The elders further expressed concern over the growing prevalence of kidnapping-for-ransom, describing it as a sophisticated criminal enterprise that thrives on weak law enforcement, porous borders and inadequate intelligence coordination.
According to the forum, many affected communities have continued to report inadequate security presence and delayed responses during attacks despite repeated assurances from government officials.
The group called on the Federal Government to immediately declare a national security emergency and adopt extraordinary measures to address the crisis.
Among its recommendations are the restructuring of intelligence coordination among security agencies, intensified operations against kidnapping and banditry networks, prosecution of sponsors of violent crimes and enhanced protection for farming communities, schools and transport corridors.
The forum also urged authorities to investigate illegal mining activities and other criminal economic operations believed to be fuelling insecurity in parts of the country.
NEF stressed that insecurity is not a regional, ethnic or partisan issue but a national challenge that threatens the country’s stability and development.
“The time for assurances has passed. The time for measurable action is now,” the forum declared.
