FROM RAHILA ABDULLAHI, KADUNA
Group under the auspices of Nigeria Youth Forum, NYF, has raised alarm over the worsening security crisis, warning that the country is drifting dangerously into a state of anarchy, as citizens continue to pay the price for government’s failure to act.
The forum, in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja by its National President, Comrade Toriah Filani, described the ongoing killings in Benue, Zamfara, Katsina, Borno and Plateau States, alongside emerging terror-linked groups in Kwara State, as a coordinated assault on national stability.
The group outrightly rejected the security summit proposed by the National Assembly, dismissing it as a repetitive and ineffective measure that had never produced meaningful results.
“We have no confidence whatsoever in the National Assembly’s proposed security summit. It will amount to another round of talk shows and hollow communiqués. If the president had sacked just one GOC or commissioner of police over the atrocities in these states, others would have sat up by now,” Filani stated.
The group warned that Nigeria is bleeding and that those entrusted with protecting lives and property appear more concerned with political maneuvering than confronting the national emergency.
“Nigeria is bleeding while our leaders chase shadows. Every week, the country is plunged into fresh chaos and all we get are recycled press statements and condolence messages,” the group lamented.
To back its position, the coalition cited a recent BBC Hausa report, which revealed that no fewer than 3,610 Nigerians were killed by bandits and insurgents between January and March.
According to the report, Niger State recorded the highest number of deaths with 631 persons killed, 251 abducted and 178 separate attacks. Zamfara followed with 585 deaths, 918 abductions and 250 attacks.
“In Borno State, 514 people were killed, 357 kidnapped and 397 attacks recorded. Katsina witnessed 341 killings and 495 kidnappings across 247 incidents, while Kaduna recorded 106 deaths and 128 violent attacks, Sokoto and Kebbi States also suffered 184 deaths collectively within the same period.
“Additional data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, put the total number of Nigerians killed within the past year at over 614,000, with 2.2 million abducted across the country. Similarly, figures from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, ACLED, analysed by Premium Times, revealed that between May 2023 and May 2024 alone, 4,556 fatalities and 7,086 abductions occurred across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The North West led with 1,475 deaths and 4,343 abductions, followed closely by the North Central which recorded 1,444 deaths, mostly from banditry, communal clashes and cult-related violence, along with 1,321 abductions.
“In the North East, at least 819 persons were killed and 688 abducted from 408 violent incidents. The South South zone had 336 deaths and 295 abductions, while the South East witnessed 310 fatalities and 214 kidnappings. In the South West, 172 deaths were recorded alongside 225 abductions during the period under review. Another report from Beacon Consulting stated that 13,346 Nigerians were killed and 9,207 abducted in 667 out of the 774 local government areas between May 2023 and September 2024,” the report revealed.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the member representing Damboa, Gwoza and Chibok Federal Constituency of Borno State, Ahmadu Jaha, decried the resurgence of Boko Haram and ISWAP, revealing that insurgents now deploy weaponised drones more advanced than those in the military’s arsenal.
“At one point, 22 of Borno State’s 27 local government areas were under terrorist control. If we fail to act decisively now, Nigeria risks the kind of collapse that befell empires like Rome, whose leaders ignored the threat until it was too late.”
The forum echoed its concerns, describing recent attacks in Uromi (Edo), Jos (Plateau), and parts of Kaduna as clear signs of an expanding warfront. It warned that what began as farmers-herders clashes has evolved into highly coordinated attacks by foreign mercenaries and well-armed bandit networks.
It cautioned that Nigeria risks descending into full-scale war if urgent and far-reaching actions are not taken immediately.
The group noted that blaming indigenous Fulani communities for the crisis is misguided, stating that many of the attacks are carried out by foreign elements who have exploited Nigeria’s weak border control and institutional gaps.
It concluded by calling for immediate reforms within the security architecture, increased funding, deployment of modern warfare technologies and political will from the presidency to halt the country’s descent into chaos and equally advocated for more budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector as a means to reduce unemployment and curtail insecurity.
