Nigeria’s worsening security crisis has prompted the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to declare the situation a “state of war,” calling on the federal government to urgently prioritise national security as its most pressing emergency.
The ACF made the declaration in a communiqué issued following its Board of Trustees’ 38th meeting on Wednesday, signed by chairman Bashir Dalhatu. The forum convened to assess the escalating violence across Nigeria, which it said has moved beyond isolated incidents to become a widespread threat to national stability.
According to the communiqué, participants at the meeting examined the persistent violence plaguing various regions, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, and recurring farmer-herder conflicts. The forum concluded that these challenges have combined to create a dangerous and complex security environment requiring urgent and decisive action.
“The scale, persistence, and human cost of the violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the forum stated, emphasising that the crisis should no longer be treated as one of many governance issues but as the nation’s overriding emergency.
The ACF expressed deep concern over the human toll, noting that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been killed or displaced in states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara. The victims include members of the armed forces, including senior officers. The forum warned that families have been torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, and entire communities traumatised, with severe long-term social consequences if the trend continues.
Economic impacts were also highlighted, particularly on agriculture, which remains the backbone of Nigeria’s northern economy. The group noted that farming activities have been significantly disrupted, contributing to food shortages, rising inflation, and the collapse of rural livelihoods.
“Insecurity is now directly undermining Nigeria’s economy. The longer the crisis persists, the more expensive it becomes to fix,” the communiqué stated.
The ACF emphasised that redirecting national resources to address insecurity should not be seen as a setback to development but as a necessary step toward achieving sustainable growth. It called on the government to adopt a “war-time approach,” including temporarily suspending or scaling down non-essential spending and channelling resources toward ending the security crisis.
“Extraordinary threats require extraordinary measures,” the forum said.
Warning that Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads, the ACF said the escalating violence poses a serious threat to national unity and the country’s future. It urged the government to act with urgency and clarity by mobilising all available resources and demonstrating strong leadership in tackling insecurity.
The communiqué concluded that until Nigerians can live, travel, and work without fear—particularly in rural communities—meaningful national development will remain out of reach.
