The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed deep concern over worsening security across Northern Nigeria, describing the situation as “grave, devastating, and deeply troubling.”
At the Forum’s 79th National Executive Committee Meeting in Kaduna, ACF Chairman Mamman Osuman highlighted escalating terrorism, banditry, insurgency, and kidnappings affecting multiple states, including Kwara, Southern Kaduna, Katsina, and Benue.
He stressed that repeated attacks have uprooted families, destroyed rural livelihoods, and caused widespread displacement.
Osuman pointed out severe humanitarian consequences: overcrowded displacement camps, limited access to food and healthcare, and disruption of education, as schools in several communities remain closed due to insecurity.
Farming activities, the backbone of rural economies, have also been significantly disrupted.
The ACF Chairman warned that travel in many northern areas is unsafe, hindering access to healthcare, markets, and schools, and that external military assistance has sometimes been required to manage the crisis.
He urged stakeholders, particularly state chapters of the Forum, to move beyond rhetoric and engage in actionable steps with federal and state governments to restore peace and stability.
Osuman also called on political actors to prioritise pressing issues such as insecurity, hunger, poverty, and the increasing number of out-of-school children over early election strategies.
As Nigeria approaches another election cycle, the ACF pledged to cooperate with authorities to promote peaceful, credible elections while emphasising that addressing insecurity must remain a top priority for regional survival, stability, and development.
The statement comes amid growing concern over rising attacks and mounting humanitarian pressures across Northern Nigeria.
