By Frontline Reporters | April 15, 2026
Nigeria’s deepening security crisis has taken a more alarming dimension, with the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) declaring that the country has effectively slipped into a “state of war” and can no longer afford business-as-usual responses.
In a communiqué issued after its 38th Board of Trustees meeting in Abuja, chaired by Bashir Dalhatu, the northern socio-political group warned that the scale and persistence of violence across the country now threaten national survival.
The high-level meeting drew prominent figures, including former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, and former President of the United Nations General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.
“Beyond Insurgency—Now a Full-Blown War”
The forum said Nigeria’s security challenges—ranging from insurgency in the North-East to banditry, kidnappings, and communal clashes across other regions—have evolved into a full-scale conflict.
“Nigeria’s security crisis has moved far beyond a routine governance challenge… to a state of all-out war that now threatens the continued existence of Nigeria as we know it.”
According to the ACF, the sheer human toll underscores the urgency: hundreds of thousands killed or displaced across states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara, with even senior military officers among the casualties.
Families, it noted, have been torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, and entire communities left traumatised.
Economy Under Siege
Beyond the humanitarian cost, the forum warned that insecurity is crippling Nigeria’s economic backbone—especially agriculture in the North.
Disruptions to farming and supply chains, it said, are accelerating inflation and pushing rural economies toward collapse.
“Redirecting national resources toward security is not a diversion from development—it is a prerequisite for it.”
Call for “Wartime” Measures
In a strongly worded appeal, the ACF urged the Federal Government to adopt a wartime footing, including a drastic reordering of national priorities.
It recommended scaling down non-essential spending and channeling resources toward ending insecurity decisively.
“Extraordinary threats require extraordinary measures… secure the nation first, then build it.”
The forum stressed that treating insecurity as just another governance issue would only deepen the crisis, insisting it must now be seen as the country’s overriding national emergency.
A Critical Juncture
Concluding its communiqué, the ACF warned that Nigeria stands at a tipping point, where failure to act decisively could further endanger both lives and the nation’s future.
For policymakers, the message is blunt: restore security now—or risk watching the crisis spiral beyond control.
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