The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in the Northern region.
The call was made in a statement on Wednesday, which was signed by the spokesperson of NEF, Professor Abubakar Jiddere.
According to the Forum, the North is plagued by protracted insecurity that has devastated the socio-economic life and development of the region and if urgent steps are not taken to curb the insecurity, anarchy looms in the region.
The Northern elders, therefore, appealed to the President to declare a state of emergency and deploy additional security forces to curb the security challenges in the region.
The NEF argued that if the federal government fails to do the needful, it will jeopardise national cohesion, democratic sustainability, stability of the polity, and regional peace.
They therefore called on the Tinubu-led administration to, without delay, meet their demand of declaring a state of emergency in line with the constitution and international obligations to protect lives and property.
The group recalled that on August 19, there was a bloody attack on a mosque in Unguwan Mantau Village, where armed assailants killed about 27 worshippers and injured many during early morning prayers, while hundreds of people were displaced.
It also noted the execution of 35 abductees in Zamfara State despite ransom payments, as well as two separate attacks in Kaduna State’s Kauru and Kudan Local Government Areas, LGAs, which killed eight persons while eight others were injured.
Jiddere said: “Declaring a State of Emergency in Northern Nigeria, acknowledging the extraordinary scale of the crisis.
“Deploying adequately trained, armed, and equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilian populations and secure international border regions.
“Provide adequate compensation, rehabilitation, and humanitarian assistance to victims including displaced persons, in line with international humanitarian standards.
“Strengthening border control and regional cooperation with neighbouring states under ECOWAS and the African Union protocols, to stem cross-border incursions by armed criminal groups.
“Engaging international partners, including the African Union, AU, and United Nations, UN, for technical and humanitarian support.
“The NEF observes with deep regret that the state security architecture remains inadequate, overstretched, and in some cases complicit through inaction and silence, leaving citizens vulnerable and helpless while eroding public trust in government institutions.
“Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), states that the inherent right to life shall be protected by law, and no one shall arbitrarily be deprived of life.
“The recurring atrocities in Northern Nigeria constitute serious breaches of these obligations, and in their scale and persistence, will amount to crimes against humanity under international law and humanitarian cases.”
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