Nation under siege: Northern elders finally call for emergency on insecurity

The northern elders under the auspices of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Wednesday demanded that President Bola Tinubu declare a national security emergency.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Prof Abubakar Jiddere, the NEF said the security challenge in the country is already at its precipice, and urgent and drastic steps need to be taken to salvage the country from falling into anarchy.

The NEF also said Nigerians are deeply in fear and when citizens live in fear, communities are under siege, and criminal elements operate with increasing boldness; millions of law-abiding citizens remain vulnerable.

The statement read in part, “The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) expresses its deepest outrage and concern over the relentless collapse of security across the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No nation can claim progress when its citizens live in fear, its communities are under siege, and criminal elements operate with increasing boldness while millions of law-abiding citizens remain vulnerable.

“Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

“Today, Nigerians are compelled to ask a painful but legitimate question: if the protection of lives and property is the foremost duty of government, why are citizens increasingly left to fend for themselves against kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, violent extremists, and organized criminal gangs?

“Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has confronted numerous security threats, including the Civil War, Maitatsine uprisings, armed militancy in the Niger Delta, sectarian violence, separatist agitations, cattle rustling, armed robbery, and the Boko Haram insurgency. Yet never in recent history has the country witnessed the simultaneous spread of multiple forms of insecurity across virtually every region as is being experienced today.

“From the forests of Zamfara and Katsina to the highways of Kaduna and Niger; from communities in Plateau and Benue to parts of Kogi, Kwara, Borno, Oyo, Edo, Enugu, Imo and beyond, violence has become a recurring feature of daily life. Communities are attacked, citizens are abducted, farmers are displaced from their lands, travellers are ambushed on major highways, and businesses are forced to operate under conditions of uncertainty and fear.

“Independent security reports over the years have consistently documented thousands of deaths, abductions, and displacements arising from violent criminal activities. While governments may differ in their approaches and achievements, the reality confronting Nigerians today is that insecurity remains one of the gravest threats to national stability, economic growth, and social cohesion.

“The Forum is particularly disturbed by the growing normalization of mass abductions and kidnapping-for-ransom. What began as isolated criminal incidents has evolved into a sophisticated criminal economy that exploits weak enforcement, porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, and inadequate intelligence coordination.

“In many affected communities, criminal groups appear capable of operating for extended periods with little resistance, undermining public confidence in the capacity of the state to guarantee security.

“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.

“Families are being pushed into poverty by ransom payments and displacement. Entire communities now live under the constant threat of attack. No serious nation can accept such a situation as normal.

“The Northern Elders Forum notes with concern that despite repeated assurances from public officials, many affected communities continue to report inadequate security presence, delayed intervention during attacks, and limited prosecution of those responsible for grave crimes. These concerns deserve urgent attention from relevant authorities.

“The Forum further calls for comprehensive investigations into illegal mining activities and other forms of resource exploitation that have been linked by various studies and official reports to insecurity in parts of the country. Criminal networks thrive where governance is weak and oversight is absent. Every individual or organization operating within Nigeria must be subject to Nigerian laws and accountable to Nigerian institutions.

“The Northern Elders Forum, therefore, calls on the Federal Government to immediately declare a National Security Emergency and implement extraordinary measures to reverse the current trajectory.”

The Forum noted, “This is not a partisan issue. This is not a regional issue. This is not an ethnic issue. This is a national emergency.

“Nigeria cannot prosper while its citizens live under fear. The blood of innocent Nigerians should trouble the conscience of every public office holder entrusted with the responsibility of governance. History will not judge leaders by the promises they made. It will judge them by the lives they protected, the communities they secured, and the nation they preserved.

“The time for assurances has passed. The time for measurable action is now,” the statement added.

In the meantime, Edo state government has ordered the immediate closure of three secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area following intelligence reports of a kidnap threat against students.

The directive, contained in a circular issued by the State Ministry of Education and signed by its Permanent Secretary, Mr Enodolomwanyi Otamere, said the affected schools were Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School and Makeke Secondary School.

The circular dated June 9 was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Benin.

NAN reports that the closure came against the backdrop of a security intelligence report by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The reports in a memo dated June 5, and sighted by NAN, warned of an alleged plan by suspected bandits to carry out a mass abduction of school children in Edo North Senatorial District.

According to the intelligence memo addressed to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the DSS intercepted communications between two suspected bandits.

The two suspects allegedly discussed targeting school children after earlier attempts to kidnap wealthy individuals failed to yield expected financial gains.

The report indicates that the suspects believed abducting students will attract greater government attention and increase their chances of securing substantial ransom payments and other concessions.

The memo further revealed that a 25-year-old suspect was arrested on June 4 while allegedly conducting surveillance around Makeke Secondary School in the Makeke community, one of the schools subsequently shut by the government.

According to the document, the suspect’s activities heightened fears that preparations for the planned operation may already have been underway.

In response to the threat, the security agency advised authorities to strengthen protection around schools and educational institutions across the state, particularly in Edo North.

The DSS also recommended the deployment of additional security personnel, enhanced collaboration among security agencies, local vigilante groups and hunters, as well as intensified patrols and surveillance in vulnerable communities.

Meanwhile in the memo directing the closure of the schools, the permanent secretary said that the decision followed security advisories from relevant agencies warning of threats to the safety of students, teachers and surrounding communities.

“The Ministry of Education has received intelligence reports and advisories from relevant security agencies regarding credible threats to the safety of students, staff, and school communities in some parts of the Akoko Edo Local Government Area,” he said.

He added that all academic and non-academic activities in the affected schools had been suspended until further notice as part of efforts to safeguard lives and property.

Otamare said that in spite of the closure, candidates currently sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) would continue to have access to examination centres under strict security arrangements.

“Candidates currently participating in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) shall be allowed access to sit for their examinations under strict security arrangements and supervision as may be provided by the relevant security agencies and community stakeholders,” he said.

He directed school principals to ensure the orderly release of students to their parents and guardians, secure school facilities and maintain close communication with government authorities and security agencies.

He also urged parents and residents of the affected communities to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies as efforts continue to neutralise the threat and restore normal academic activities.

However, unidentified gunmen men have stormed Ora-Igbomina in the Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, abducting the council’s vice-chairman, Debo Faroumbi.

Daily Champion gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday night, with gunmen shooting sporadically into the air and creating panic in the town.

It was gathered that the gunmen initially picked four residents, including two Fulani women, and Mr Faroumbi.

However, the gunmen were quickly resisted by the military stationed in the town who relentlessly pursued the assailants, forcing them to abandon three of the victims and whisked away the council officials into the forest.

Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said the police have launched a manhunt for the suspects with a view to rescuing the victim.

“Yes, some yet-to-be-identified gunmen stormed Ora-Igbomina in Ifedayo Local Government, abducting four persons. But military engagement forced them to abandon three victims.

“They eventually succeeded in taking Debo Faroumbi into the forest with them and police and other security agencies have launched manhunt for the suspects,” he said.

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