A group of concerned Nigerian leaders has asked President Bola Tinubu to create a Presidential Task Force on National Security to stop killings, banditry, terrorism and all forms of violent crimes across different states in Nigeria.

In a statement jointly signed by members of the group drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the country, they lamented the heinous killings of innocent Nigerians and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of citizens by bloodthirsty marauders in Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Katsina, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and other parts of the country.

Members of the group include Osita Chidoka, Mohammed Abdullahi, Sergius Ogun, Kadaria Ahmed, Nuruddeen Muhammad, Abdullahi Maibasira, Bappayo Adamu, Basharu Isah, Ismaeel Ahmed, Midala Balami, Frank Nweke, Tolu Aderemi, Paul Ogbole, Opeyemi Adamolekun, Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Tonye Cole, Ugo Egbujo, Sam Amadi, and Bukar Masta.

The group faulted the “national silence” of the government despite the slaughtering of innocent citizens by violent armed groups.

“The ritual of press condemnations after each massacre, and the swift return to other mundane issues, is now a national pastime. This is not resilience. It is the slow implosion of a nation and a rot of its conscience,” the group said.

According to the group, the “challenge is not ethnic, but systemic: poverty, arms proliferation, impunity, injustice, and the erosion of local governance. We must lift the veil of stereotypes and deal with the truth: criminals come from every group; justice must be blind to identity”.

The group called on the presidency, the National Assembly, governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security chiefs, civil society, and every Nigerian of conscience to rise and end the carnage.

“We propose urgently creating a Presidential Task Force on National Security, with extraordinary powers and a clear mandate to coordinate and execute emergency measures to halt the violence.

“This Taskforce should work directly with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and all relevant security, intelligence, and humanitarian agencies,” the group stated.

The group outlined some mandates of the task force to include:

“Operationalizing community-based early warning systems and rapid response frameworks, ensuring that intelligence from local actors, traditional leaders, and civil society triggers immediate coordinated action, not bureaucratic delay.

“Implementing a disarmament and reintegration programme for conflict zones, particularly in the North East, North Central and North West, combining humanitarian assistance with strategic security deployment to enable the safe return of displaced populations.

“Driving accountability through quarterly public security reports, disclosing arrests, prosecutions, and progress made, thereby rebuilding public trust and strengthening civilian oversight.

“The Presidential Taskforce must be time-bound, results-driven, and composed of experienced security professionals, non-partisan Nigerians of unquestionable integrity, and wartime decision-makers who are bold enough to use their mandate responsibly and transparently.

“The body should report directly to the President but operate independently of political pressures. These are unusual times; they require unusual but constitutional measures.” (Channels TV)