Following a high-level meeting with Northern stakeholders-including former state governors, ministers, service chiefs, National Assembly members, retired senior public officers, academics, professionals and other patriotic citizens-the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for urgent action to end the ongoing security crisis in Northern Nigeria.
Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, read a communiqué issued after the Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting. He criticised the current strategies against insurgents and bandits, stating, “Other measures, even unconventional ones, need to be considered and tried.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Bashir Muhammad Dalhatu, issued an apology to the people of Northern Nigeria for the collective failure of leaders to protect the region from one of the worst crises in its history.
Dalhatu emphasised that the ACF is actively exploring strategies to address the existential challenges facing the North and Nigeria as a whole. He also announced that the North is prepared to support constitutional review and administrative changes.
The meeting was convened in response to escalating insecurity, rising living costs, destitution, unemployment, and other crises affecting Northern Nigeria.
It resolved that Northerners must work towards fostering trust and unity among themselves, regardless of tribal or religious differences. Members were urged to avoid derogatory terms such as ‘arne’ and ‘mushirki’.
The forum emphasised the need for unity and a unified voice on key issues concerning Northern Nigeria. Members committed to revitalising and strengthening the ACF to effectively advocate for Northern interests.
The communiqué highlighted the severe security situation in Northern Nigeria, including heightened banditry, Boko Haram insurgency, and rising drug trafficking. It also noted the abandonment of farmlands and the displacement of farmers due to violence, which has exacerbated food production challenges.
The meeting condemned the failure of current mitigation measures and demanded an immediate end to the crisis. It also criticised the Nigerian government’s inability to protect its citizens from armed criminal elements, calling for urgent reform and community-driven defence models, similar to the Civilian JTF used in the North East.
The ACF also addressed the unprecedented cost of living crisis, driven by severe food shortages and rising energy prices, which have further fuelled insecurity and violent crimes. The government was urged to mitigate these impacts.
Corruption was identified as a key driver of poor governance in Nigeria, with bad governance cited as the root cause of many social and economic issues. The forum called for an aggressive anti-corruption campaign.
The meeting also appraised current calls for a review of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and administrative restructuring. It dispelled any notion that the North is resistant to such proposals, affirming its willingness to consider all constitutional review proposals and use available resources to pursue its interests.
Among the northern leaders in attendance were Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, former governor of Kano and protem chairman of the League of Northern Democrats; Senator Tanko Al-Makura, former governor of Nasarawa; Abdullahi Adamu, former National Chairman of the APC; General Halilu Akilu, former Minister of Internal Affairs; General Muhammad Magoro; Senator Kabiru Gaya, Yayale Ahmed, former SGF; Adamu Muazu, former National Chairman of the PDP; Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa; Ramalan Yero, former governor of Kaduna State; and Babachir Lawal, former SGF.
Other notable attendees included the immediate past SGF, Boss Mustapha; former Minister of State for Defence, Lawal Batagarawa; former Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar; retired DIG Aliyu Attah; and Sa’ad Birnin Kudu, former governor of Jigawa State.
