John Shiklam in Kaduna

Following the killing of 20 soldiers in Niger State last Tuesday, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) yesterday called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in northern Nigeria over the unabating insecurity.

The elders also condemned the killing of over 20 soldiers in Bangi, Mariga Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.

In a statement issued by the spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, NEF expressed pain over the brutal killing of the soldiers in an ambush by terrorists, describing the incident as a total collapse of security in Northern Nigeria.

Jiddere said the boldness demonstrated by the terrorists is an indication of declaring war against Nigeria, and added that northern Nigeria is under siege.
He said: “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, and the state is losing.

“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 truth is stark and undeniable: the Nigerian government has failed abysmally and consistently in its constitutional duty to protect lives and property.
“The North is drowning in blood, its people abandoned, while the security forces either cannot respond or are completely absent.

“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 Forum demands 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 will not continue to die silently while a complacent government watches from a distance.

“The NEF warns in the clearest possible terms that the continued federal inaction will provoke open resistance. “The patience of our people has run out. The legitimacy of any government that cannot or will not protect its citizens is gone. Enough is enough. We will not be silent. The North will not kneel before terror.”

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