The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has declared that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity has escalated into a “state of war,” calling on the Federal Government to urgently reorder national priorities and treat security as the country’s most pressing emergency.

This position was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 38th meeting of the ACF Board of Trustees on Wednesday and and signed by its Chairman, Bashir M. Dalhatu.

The meeting, attended by prominent northern leaders, including former top government officials, diplomats and security chiefs, deliberated extensively on the persistent violence across the country, particularly in the northern region.

The forum noted that Nigeria’s security challenges have grown beyond isolated incidents of insurgency, banditry and communal clashes, evolving into widespread violence threatening national stability.

According to the communiqué, insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, as well as farmer-herder conflicts, have combined to create a dangerous situation requiring urgent and decisive action.

“The scale, persistence and human cost of the violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the forum stated, adding that the crisis should no longer be treated as one of many governance issues but as the overriding national emergency.

The ACF expressed deep concern over the human toll of the crisis, revealing that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been killed or displaced in states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger and Kwara, among others. It added that the casualties also include members of the armed forces, including senior officers.

The forum lamented that families have been torn apart, livelihoods destroyed and entire communities traumatized, warning that the long-term social consequences could be devastating.

It further highlighted the economic implications of the insecurity, particularly on agriculture, which remains the backbone of the northern economy.

According to the group, farming activities have been severely disrupted, contributing to food shortages, inflation and the collapse of rural economies.

“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 emphasized that redirecting national resources towards addressing insecurity should not be seen as a setback to development but rather a necessary step to achieving sustainable growth.

Calling for what it described as a “war-time approach,” the forum urged the government to temporarily suspend or scale down spending on non-essential projects and channel resources towards ending the security crisis.

“Extraordinary threats require extraordinary measures,” the group said, stressing that securing the nation must take precedence over other developmental initiatives.

The forum warned that Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads, with the escalating violence posing a serious threat to its unity and future.

It urged the government to act with urgency and clarity by mobilizing all available resources and demonstrating strong leadership in tackling the crisis.

The communiqué concluded that until Nigerians can live, travel and work without fear, especially in rural communities, meaningful national development would remain unattainable. (Daily Trust)