Nigeria at war: ACF warns insecurity poses existential threat

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has declared that Nigeria’s escalating insecurity has reached a “state of war,” urging the Federal Government to adopt a war-time approach by suspending non-essential projects to prioritize the nation’s security emergency.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has sounded a stark alarm, declaring that Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation has evolved into a “state of war” that threatens the country’s continued existence. In a communiqué issued following its 38th Board of Trustees meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, the forum—presided over by Chairman Bashir M. Dalhatu—described the current wave of violence as a full-blown conflict requiring an extraordinary national reset. The meeting, which drew elder statesmen, former security chiefs, and diplomats, concluded that the scale of insurgency, banditry, and mass kidnappings across the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions has moved far beyond a routine governance challenge. “The scale, persistence, and human cost of violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the forum stated, insisting that the crisis be treated as the nation’s “overriding national emergency.”

The forum’s declaration comes amid a catastrophic surge in terrorist activity that has claimed the lives of several high-ranking military commanders and hundreds of civilians in recent weeks. The ACF noted with deep concern that the casualty list now includes key operational leaders, such as Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah of the 29 Task Force Brigade and Colonel I.A. Mohammed of the 242 Battalion, both of whom were killed in recent insurgent strikes in Borno State. These losses, alongside the deaths of over 25 people in simultaneous explosions in Maiduguri on March 17, have underscored the vulnerability of even heavily fortified areas. To combat this, the ACF urged the Federal Government to adopt a “war-time approach,” which includes the temporary suspension or scaling down of non-essential projects to channel every available resource toward restoring safety.

Beyond the immediate loss of life, the ACF warned that the “state of war” is systematically collapsing rural economies and worsening national inflation by crippling the agricultural sector. With hundreds of thousands displaced across states like Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara, the forum argued that economic development cannot occur in a vacuum of fear. The communiqué emphasized that the government must sequence its priorities correctly, stating, “This does not mean abandoning development—but sequencing it correctly: secure the nation first, then build it.” Until Nigerians can return to their farms and travel without the threat of abduction or death, the forum concluded that every other national ambition will remain effectively on hold.

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