The Arewa Consultative Forum has warned that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity has reached what it termed a “state of war”, calling for urgent and extraordinary measures from the Federal Government.
The warning followed fresh violence in Borno State, where six soldiers and a civilian woman were reportedly killed in an attack by Boko Haram on a military formation in Mussa community, Askira-Uba Local Government Area.
At its 38th Board of Trustees meeting in Abuja, the forum said the scale and persistence of violence across the country now posed an existential threat. The meeting was chaired by Bashir Dalhatu and attended by several prominent northern figures, including Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, Mohammed D. Abubakar, Tukur Yusufu Buratai, and Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the ACF stated that the crisis had evolved beyond insurgency, banditry and communal clashes into a full-scale conflict.
“The scale, persistence and human cost of violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the forum said, adding that the situation should be treated as an overriding national emergency.
The group lamented the widespread human and economic toll, noting that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians had been killed or displaced in states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger and Kwara. It also pointed out that members of the armed forces were among the casualties.
According to the communiqué, the humanitarian consequences have been devastating, leaving families shattered, livelihoods destroyed and communities traumatised, while economic activities continue to suffer.
The forum further warned that insecurity is severely affecting agriculture, particularly in northern Nigeria, disrupting supply chains and fuelling inflation.
“Redirecting national resources toward security is not a diversion from economic development; it is a prerequisite for it,” the communiqué stated.
The ACF urged the Federal Government to adopt what it described as a “war-time approach”, including scaling down or suspending non-essential projects to prioritise security spending.
While stressing that development remains important, the group insisted that restoring safety must come first.
“Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads. The escalating security crisis threatens not just lives, but the very stability and future of the nation,” it warned.
The forum added that meaningful national progress would remain elusive until citizens can live, work and travel without fear, calling for swift and decisive action.