Tinubu Told To Declare State Of Emergency In Northern Nigeria

Tinubu Told To Declare State Of Emergency In Northern Nigeria
NEF cites killings in Zamfara, Kaduna, and mosque attack in Niger.
Group warns insecurity threatens democracy, cohesion, and national stability.

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in Northern Nigeria, citing escalating insecurity that has devastated the region’s socio-economic life.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the demand was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by NEF spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jiddere.

According to the Forum, the persistent attacks, killings, and abductions across the North have created a humanitarian crisis that threatens national stability, democratic governance, and regional peace if urgent measures are not taken.

The NEF urged the federal government to swiftly deploy more trained and properly equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilians and secure border regions. It also called for compensation and rehabilitation of victims, provision of humanitarian aid to displaced persons, and stronger cooperation with neighbouring countries under ECOWAS and African Union frameworks to curb cross-border incursions.

The elders stressed the need to engage international partners, including the AU and the United Nations, for technical and humanitarian support.

They highlighted recent attacks as evidence of worsening insecurity. On August 19, armed assailants stormed a mosque in Unguwan Mantau Village, killing 27 worshippers and injuring many others during morning prayers. In Zamfara State, 35 abductees were executed despite ransom payments, while separate attacks in Kaduna’s Kauru and Kudan LGAs left eight people dead and several injured.

Jiddere warned that the government’s current security architecture is overstretched and, in some cases, complicit by inaction, leaving citizens vulnerable and eroding trust in state institutions.

Quoting Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, he emphasised that the recurring killings constitute breaches of Nigeria’s obligations to protect the right to life and could amount to crimes against humanity under international law.

“The extraordinary scale of the crisis demands an extraordinary response. Declaring a state of emergency is no longer optional but necessary,” Jiddere stated.

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