ACF Raises Alarm: Northern Nigeria Under Threat of Destabilization

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), one of northern Nigeria's most influential socio-political organizations, has issued a series of stark warnings in recent weeks, sounding the alarm over what it describes as coordinated and escalating efforts to destabilize the North through both insecurity from outside and a damaging leadership crisis from within.

"A State of War"
The Arewa Consultative Forum has warned that Nigeria's worsening insecurity has reached what it termed a "state of war", calling for urgent and extraordinary measures from the Federal Government. The warning followed fresh violence in Borno State, where six soldiers and a civilian woman were reportedly killed in an attack by Boko Haram on a military formation in Mussa community, Askira-Uba Local Government Area.

At its 38th Board of Trustees meeting in Abuja, the forum said the scale and persistence of violence across the country now posed an existential threat. The meeting was chaired by Bashir Dalhatu and attended by several prominent northern figures, including Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, Mohammed D. Abubakar, Tukur Yusufu Buratai, and Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.

In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the ACF stated that the crisis had evolved beyond insurgency, banditry and communal clashes into a full-scale conflict. "The scale, persistence and human cost of violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities," the forum declared, adding that the situation should be treated as an overriding national emergency.

The Human and Economic Toll
ACF Chairman Mamman Osuman described the security situation in the region as "grave, devastating, and deeply troubling," warning that terrorism, banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping are escalating across several states. He said the region continues to face tragic loss of lives, widespread displacement, and the destruction of rural livelihoods, citing recent incidents in Kwara, Southern Kaduna, Katsina, Benue, and other affected areas.

The ACF noted that agricultural activities in many parts of northern Nigeria have been severely disrupted as farmers are unable to access their farmlands due to persistent attacks by bandits and other armed groups, worsening food shortages, driving up inflation and deepening hardship among citizens.

The forum warned that "redirecting national resources toward security is not a diversion from economic development; it is a prerequisite for it," and called on the Federal Government to adopt a "war-time approach," including scaling down or suspending non-essential projects to prioritize security spending. Clandestine

Moves to Destabilize the ACF Itself
Beyond the external security threat, the ACF has also raised alarm over moves it says are aimed at destroying the Forum from within.

The forum alleged that it had become aware of "clandestine and subterranean moves" aimed at destabilizing the organization through internal and external actors. It assured members and supporters that the current leadership remained committed to protecting the integrity of the forum and ensuring strict adherence to its constitutional provisions.

ACF National Publicity Secretary Prof. Muhammad-Baba, in a statement, said the Chairman had authorized a disclaimer to "disabuse the minds of members of the ACF, the press, and the public in general, but especially the teeming masses of Arewa who have been suffering untold existential socio-economic hardships."

The leadership crisis has, to a greater extent, divided the Forum into two, revolving around the roles of the Board of Trustees and the National Executive Committee in respect of the day-to-day running of the organization.

A Call for Unity and Action
Amid all the pressure, ACF Chairman Osuman urged members to adhere strictly to the ACF Constitution, avoid sensationalism, and concentrate on programmes that advance the survival, restoration, and welfare of the people of the region. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration with relevant authorities to ensure peaceful and credible polls ahead of the next election cycle.

"Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads. The escalating security crisis threatens not just lives, but the very stability and future of the nation," the ACF warned, stressing that meaningful national progress would remain elusive until citizens can live, work and travel without fear.

The twin threats armed violence ravaging northern communities and internal discord fracturing its most prominent advocacy body paint a troubling picture of a region under siege, testing the resilience of northern Nigeria's social and political institutions at one of their most critical moments.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.

International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP

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