…says North can no longer remain silent
Arewa Consultative Forum, on Monday, warned that Northern Nigeria is being pushed to the wall amid worsening insecurity, poverty, and environmental challenges.
ACF issued this warning during its 78th National Executive Committee meeting held in Kaduna.
Addressing the gathering, ACF Chairman, Mamman Osuman, said the North could no longer afford to remain silent in the face of escalating crises confronting the region.
He warned, “This is not a time for the North to fold its arms and watch while things continue to deteriorate. Our security situation is worsening, the resources of the region are being exploited, and environmental problems are mounting. We must rise and unite to defend the region.”
The ACF Chairman lamented the daily killings in Northern Nigeria, stressing that the situation had become unbearable.
“We have lost children, young men and women, and the elderly to floods, disasters, criminals, and terrorists. The state of affairs is deeply troubling. That is why I call for sober reflection and prayers,” he said.
Speaking to the BBC after the meeting, ACF Adviser Bashir Hayatu Gentile explained that the Forum had thoroughly examined the challenges troubling the North and resolved that urgent action was needed.
He said, “These are real problems facing the North, and we must compel the government to act. Nothing is more disturbing today than insecurity – kidnappings and killings everywhere. That is why the ACF resolved that the North must unite and pressure the government to intensify efforts to address these pressing challenges.”
Gentile further noted that in his speech at the Kaduna meeting, Osuman told the Federal Government that the patience of the North was “wearing thin.”
“The ACF Chairman called on the government to change its strategies to stop this devastation. He said Northern patience is running out and that government must act decisively,” Gentile said.
ACF also expressed deep concern over a recent report by Amnesty International which revealed that 10,217 people were killed in just two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration – all in Northern Nigeria.
Gentile added that beyond the killings, mass abductions and village raids have become a near-daily occurrence in the North.
He cited the recent attack in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State where armed men stormed a mosque during dawn prayers, killing and burning worshippers.
“The report said 27 people were killed, but from what we gathered, the figures were even higher,” he stressed.
The Forum condemned the silence of government officials on Amnesty’s findings, saying the refusal to refute the figures confirmed the severity of the crisis.
“Since Amnesty released the report, no government official has denied it. This is why the ACF insists that Nigeria’s security framework must be overhauled,” Gentile said.
