The Northern Elders Forum (NEF)
has said that it will no longer condone what it describes as ‘hollow condolences, tired speeches, or sterile press releases” from the federal government following the new wave of killings in the north.
The Forum, in a statement by its spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, said Nigerians deserve a visible, aggressive, and accountable action now to curb the wave of killings and insecurity currently spreading across the north and other parts of the country.
The NEF noted in particular the recent killing of over 20 soldiers by terrorists in Niger State, describing it is as a clear declaration of war against the Nigerian state and a strong evidence of a security collapse in the north.
The Forum, while condemning the attack and similar incidents in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and Zamfara States, said they are parts of unrelenting campaign of terror engulfing the northern region.
It also warned that the government’s inaction was pushing Nigerians to question its willingness or ability to protect its citizens.
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“More than 20 uniformed men, defenders of the nation, were slaughtered like animals by a gang of well-armed terrorists who launched a brazen, coordinated ambush that completely overwhelmed the base,” the Forum said.
“This is not just an attack, it is a declaration of war against the Nigerian state, and the state is losing.
“From Benue to Plateau, from Kwara to Kaduna, and from Zamfara to Sokoto, Borno, and now Niger, what we are witnessing is not mere insecurity, it is a war zone. It is mass murder, state failure, and the steady collapse of national authority.
“The Northern Elders Forum will no longer accept hollow condolences, tired speeches, or sterile press releases. Nigerians deserve visible, aggressive, and accountable action now.
“If the Federal Government continues to delay, deflect, or downplay this crisis, the Nigerian people will have no choice but to believe, rightly or wrongly, that this inaction is willful, or worse, complicit.
“The blood of Northern Nigerians is not cheap. Our soldiers are not cannon fodder. Our citizens will not continue to die silently while a complacent government watches from a distance,” the statement added.
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