The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has warned that Nigeria’s security challenges have reached what it described as a “state of war,” calling on the Federal Government to take urgent and extraordinary steps to confront the situation.
The position was contained in a communiqué released after the 38th meeting of the ACF Board of Trustees held in Abuja.
The session, chaired by Bashir Dalhatu, brought together influential northern figures, including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Mahmud Ahmed, former Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, and former UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad Bande.
In the statement, the forum said the country’s security problems have moved beyond insurgency, banditry and communal violence into a broader crisis that now threatens national stability. It stressed that the scale and impact of ongoing violence require a major shift in national priorities and urgent emergency action.
The ACF noted that violence across states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger and Kwara has led to widespread loss of life and displacement, affecting civilians as well as security personnel.
It added that the humanitarian consequences have left many communities devastated, with families broken apart and livelihoods destroyed, while economic activity continues to suffer.
The forum also raised concern that insecurity is severely affecting agriculture, especially in the northern region, disrupting food production, supply chains and contributing to rising inflation.
It argued that increased spending on security should be seen as essential for economic recovery rather than a distraction from development goals.
Calling for a “wartime approach,” the group urged government to temporarily scale down or suspend non essential projects so that more resources can be directed toward restoring security.
The ACF maintained that national development cannot be sustained without safety, warning that Nigeria stands at a critical point where urgent action is needed to prevent further deterioration.
