The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has expressed deep outrage over the brutal killing of more than 20 Nigerian soldiers in a terrorist ambush near Bangi, Mariga local government area of Niger state..
The incident, which occurred on June 24, 2025 has been described by the Forum as not just an isolated attack but a clear declaration of war against the Nigerian state.
In a statement issued by NEF spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, Saturday, the Forum condemned the massacre in the strongest possible terms and declared that the north is under siege from terrorist groups who now operate with impunity across the region.
“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. This is not just an attack; it is a declaration of war against the Nigerian state.
“This barbaric assault is only the latest chapter in the ongoing bloodbath that has turned Northern Nigeria into a war zone throughout June 2025. 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 an unrelenting campaign of terror, mass murder and state failure.
“Entire communities are being wiped out, homes torched, lives shattered and still, the killers roam freely, unchallenged and unpunished.
“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 downplay this crisis, the Nigerian people may have no choice but to believe, rightly or wrongly, that this inaction is willful, or worse, complicit,” the statement read.
The forum therefore demanded the immediate declaration of a State of Emergency on security across northern Nigeria.
“This must be followed by decisive, joint military and intelligence operations with the sole objective of locating and eliminating every single terrorist and armed group threatening our people, regardless of who shelters them or where they operate.
“The blood of Northern Nigerians is not cheap. Our soldiers are not cannon fodder. Our citizens would not continue to die silently while a complacent government watches from a distance,” it said.
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