Northern Elders Forum Urges Tinubu to Declare National Security Emergency Over Insecurity

The Northern Elders Forum has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a national security emergency, saying Nigeria is being overwhelmed by escalating insecurity.

Guardian and Vanguard reported that the NEF issued the demand following a closed-door meeting in Kaduna. The group said the current level of banditry, kidnappings and separatist violence had reached a point where normal security measures were no longer sufficient.

“Nigeria is bleeding. The current level of insecurity – from banditry, kidnapping, and separatist violence – is unacceptable. We call on President Tinubu to immediately declare a national security emergency,” the NEF spokesperson said.

The forum also called for a probe into illegal mining activities which it said were linked to banditry networks across the North. It urged the government to take immediate measures to crack down on those funding and arming criminal groups.

The demand comes as growing public frustration over the security situation builds. Several recent mass abductions, including school kidnappings in Oyo and Borno, have intensified pressure on the government to act.

President Tinubu has not yet responded to the NEF’s call for an emergency declaration.

Sources: Guardian, Vanguard, TheWillNews