*Propose presidential task force on national security

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Concerned Nigeria Leaders have called for the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on National Security, with extraordinary powers and a clear mandate to coordinate and execute emergency measures to halt the violence.

The Taskforce, the leaders said, should work directly with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and all relevant security, intelligence, and humanitarian agencies.

The leaders made their views known in a statement issued Saturday and jointly signed by Kadaria Ahmed, Nuruddeen Muhammad, Ostia Chidoka, Opeyemi Adamolekun, Frank Nweke, Jamila Ibrahim, among others.

The leaders noted that the nation was bleeding and therefore resolved to stand united by one conviction that rises above all differences — silence is complicity, and inaction is betrayal.

They lamented that in just two years, Nigeria had recorded at least 10,217 violent killings, according to Amnesty International, saying these numbers stagger the conscience.

They said over roughly the same period, Ukraine’s war had claimed 10,000–12,000 civilian lives, Gaza’s devastating siege has taken over 35,000, and Syria, still reeling from civil war, now averages 3,000–5,000 deaths annually.

They pointed out that parts of Nigeria are enduring wartime levels of slaughter, “yet we are officially at peace.”

The leaders lamented that the devastation at home was chilling, with Benue State alone having witnessed 6,896 killed, over 450,000 displaced, and entire local councils hollowed out by fear.

They noted: “Plateau has lost 2,630 lives, its boreholes poisoned, granaries torched, farmers forced to watch harvests rot for fear of ambush on the road to market.

“Zamfara has seen at least 638 villages sacked, and residents are now paying criminal levies by phone under threat of mass killings.

“Similar horrors persist in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Niger, where bandits have turned entire districts into fiefdoms.

“Meanwhile, Boko Haram is resurging in the Northeast, regaining the ability to launch deadly assaults, kill servicemen and even attempt overruns of local governments, as seen in recent attacks on Gwoza, Damboa, Biu and Bama, forcing farmers off their fields and reviving fears of the dark days when the entire country trembled under their shadow.

“The Southeast, too, is gripped by relentless killings by unknown gunmen, making peace increasingly elusive.”

The leaders wondered why such a nightmare must continue.

They added: “At its heart, our crisis reveals a brutal fact: the Nigerian state has surrendered its monopoly on the legitimate use of force. New armed groups flourish — Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi, Mamuda in Kwara, alongside local militias that exploit old grievances.

“What began as herder and farmer disputes over land and water has morphed into sectarian wars, stoked by military-grade weapons and deep distrust.

“Perhaps the most alarming thing is the national silence. The ritual of press condemnations after each massacre, and the swift return to other mundane issues, is now a national pastime. This is not resilience. It is the slow implosion of a nation and a rot of its conscience.”

The leaders were of the opinion that other countries torn by even deeper divisions, found the courage to change course.

They stressed that Colombia was once ravaged by guerrillas, cartels and paramilitaries, while Its state lost vast territories to terror, a predicament all too familiar to parts of Nigeria today.

They emphasised that change came only when leaders across rival camps acknowledged they had lost control, funded local peace deals, spurred economic renewal, and reformed their security forces. This convergence of national will gradually pulled Colombia back from the brink of collapse.

They stated: “We must resist the temptation to blame this violence on one group alone. As recent revelations in Katsina, Anambra, Benue and Plateau have shown that, while some of the attackers are foreigners with local collaborators, many of the attackers are Nigerians, sons of the soil, from various communities, who have abandoned kinship for criminality.

“This is a Nigerian problem with Nigerian faces. The challenge is not ethnic, but systemic: poverty, arms proliferation, impunity, injustice, and the erosion of local governance. We must lift the veil of stereotypes and deal with the truth: criminals come from every group; justice must be blind to identity.”

The leaders called on the Presidency, National Assembly, Governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security chiefs, civil society, and every Nigerian of conscience: let us forge a new path.

They said: “We propose urgently creating a Presidential Task Force on National Security, with extraordinary powers and a clear mandate to coordinate and execute emergency measures to halt the violence.

“This Taskforce should work directly with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and all relevant security, intelligence, and humanitarian agencies.”

They said the mandate of the task force should include operationalising community-based early warning systems and rapid response frameworks, ensuring that intelligence from local actors, traditional leaders, and civil society triggers immediate coordinated action, not bureaucratic delay.

They said it must also implement a disarmament and reintegration programme for conflict zones, particularly in the North East, North Central and North West, combining humanitarian assistance with strategic security deployment to enable the safe return of displaced populations.

They maintained that the task force must drive accountability through quarterly public security reports, disclosing arrests, prosecutions, and progress made — thereby rebuilding public trust and strengthening civilian oversight.

They noted: “The Presidential Taskforce must be time-bound, results-driven, and composed of experienced security professionals, non-partisan Nigerians of unquestionable integrity, and war-time decision makers who are bold enough to use their mandate responsibly and transparently.

“The body should report directly to the President but operate independently of political pressures. These are unusual times, they require unusual but constitutional measures.

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