The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has voiced deep concern over the worsening state of national security and what it describes as unfolding threats to Nigeria’s democratic structure.
The group made the remark in a e
communiqué signed by:HRH Oba Olaitan, Leader, Afenifere, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, President-General, Middle Belt Forum, Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, National Chairman, PANDEF
The group, made up of prominent regional political and traditional leaders, issued the alarm in a communiqué following its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
The forum condemned the surge of violent attacks recorded in Borno, Kebbi, Kaduna, and Kwara within days, describing the situation as intolerable.
They cited the killing of Brigadier General Uba Musa in an ambush by ISWAP fighters in Damboa, Borno; the abduction of 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi; and the killing and kidnapping of worshippers at the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara.
“These recurring atrocities demand urgent and decisive action from governments at all levels,” the forum said.
Beyond insecurity, the SMBLF accused the ruling political establishment of orchestrating actions capable of undermining political pluralism.
The leaders argued that widespread defections, shifting alliances, and what they described as attempts to concentrate political power in one party pose a grave risk to the democratic process.
Reading the communiqué, Afenifere leader HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan urged the governing party to check “the rising and unhealthy trend of political decamping undertaken without ideological clarity,” warning that such behaviour fuels fears of a drift toward one-party dominance.
The forum also expressed alarm over growing factional crises within opposition parties, referencing the chaotic confrontation at the PDP national secretariat on November 18, involving a serving federal minister and sitting governors.
SMBLF condemned the incident as “a barbaric show of shame” and criticized the use of security agencies for partisan interference.
The leaders further faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the leadership of Professor Joash Amupitan, for what they called “concerning passivity” ahead of the 2027 elections.
The forum said reports reaching it indicated that many recent victims of violence were Christians and indigenous people, while those carrying out the attacks were identified largely as individuals of Fulani or Kanuri extraction “from within and outside Nigeria’s borders.”
Calling the situation “ethnic cleansing,” the SMBLF urged the Federal Government to launch coordinated military operations to halt extremist violence.
The leaders also demanded intensified efforts to rescue the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls and called for transparent cooperation with international partners—including the United States—when necessary.
They urged the government to release an actionable plan for rehabilitating displaced communities in the Middle Belt and returning them to their ancestral homes.
The SMBLF also commented on ongoing labour crises, urging the Federal Government to sustain negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to prevent fresh industrial action.
They likewise called for a swift resolution to the resident doctors’ strike, warning that ordinary Nigerians unable to afford private healthcare are bearing the brunt of the disruption.
The leaders insisted that Nigeria’s democratic future and national stability depend on immediate reforms, political restraint, and robust security action.
