Nigerian Leaders Worried about National Security Crisis

By Francis Nansak, Lafia

The press release signed by prominent Nigerians from all six geopolitical zones, led by Osita Chidoka, highlights a deeply concerning national crisis caused by escalating insecurity across the country.

The statement emphasizes that Nigeria is suffering profoundly (“our nation is bleeding”) and stresses the moral imperative to act, declaring that “silence is complicity, and inaction is betrayal.”

A staggering number of violent killings: According to Amnesty International, at least 10,217 violent deaths have occurred within just two years in Nigeria.

The severity of the situation is put into a global context by comparing these deaths to other major conflict zones:

Ukraine’s war has resulted in 10,000–12,000 civilian deaths over a similar period.

Gaza’s ongoing siege has caused over 35,000 deaths.

Syria’s civil war now sees an average of 3,000–5,000 deaths annually.

This comparison starkly underlines the devastating toll that violence is taking on Nigerian lives and highlights the urgent need for national attention, accountability, and action to address insecurity.

The unified voice of leaders and citizens across ethnic, religious, and political divides underscores the nationwide consensus on the crisis and the call for a decisive response.

” Parts of Nigeria are enduring wartime levels of slaughter, yet we are officially at peace.The devastation at home is chilling. Benue State alone has witnessed 6,896 killed, over 450,000 displaced, entire local councils hollowed out by fear. Plateau has lost 2,630 lives, its boreholes poisoned, granaries torched, farmers forced to watch harvests rot for fear of ambush on the road to market. Zamfara has seen at least 638 villages sacked, and residents are now paying criminal
levies by phone under threat of mass killings”It reads.

The joint concerned Leaders also brought to the awareness of citizens that similar horrors persist in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Niger, where bandits have turned entire
districts into chiefdoms Meanwhile, Boko Haram is resurging in the Northeast, regaining the
ability to launch deadly assaults, kill servicemen and even attempt overruns of local governments,
as seen in recent attacks on Gwoza, Damboa, Biu and Bama, forcing farmers off their fields and
reviving fears of the dark days when the entire country trembled under their shadow.

They further reveals that Southeast, too, is gripped by relentless killings by unknown gunmen, making peace increasingly elusive.

“Why Does This Nightmare Continue? At its heart, our crisis reveals a brutal fact: the Nigerian state has surrendered its monopoly on the legitimate use of force. New armed groups flourish Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi,Mamuda in Kwara, alongside local militias that exploit old grievances. What began as herder and united by one conviction that rises above all differences.

“Farmers disputes over land and water has morphed into sectarian wars, stoked by military grade
weapons and deep distrust.
Perhaps the most alarming thing is the national silence. The ritual of press condemnations after
each massacre, and the swift return to other mundane issues, is now a national pastime.

“This is not resilience. It is the slow implosion of a nation and a rot of its conscience.Lessons from Around the World other countries, torn by even deeper divisions, found the courage to change course.

Making instances with country like Colombia which was once ravaged by guerrillas, cartels and paramilitaries. Its state lost vast territories to terror, a predicament all too familiar to parts of Nigeria today. Change came only when leaders across rival camps acknowledged they had lost control, funded local peace deals, spurred economic
renewal, and reformed their security forces.

“This convergence of national will gradually pulled
Colombia back from the brink of collapse.Rwanda, haunted by genocide, did not look away from its ethnic wounds. It established grassroots courts to pursue accountability, reintegrated communities, and reformed security institutions to
ensure the state’s reach extended to the remotest villages.

“Nigeria, too, bears deep scars of identity ethnic, religious, and regional tensions, that demand similar bold, structural confrontations.Northern Ireland, after decades of bombings and reprisal killings, only found peace when its elites decided violence could no longer shape the future. They forged power-sharing deals under local and international guarantees, proving even the deepest hatreds can be unwound.

“These were not perfect journeys. They were fraught with setbacks and painful compromises. Yet
they stand as enduring proof that crises on this scale are not immutable. They yield to political
courage, elite consensus, and a willingness to confront hard truths. Nigeria’s path demands no
less.A Dangerous Narrative that Must End

“We must resist the temptation to blame this violence on one group alone. As recent revelations in
Katsina, Anambra, Benue and Plateau have shown that, while some of the attackers are foreigners with local collaborators, many of the attackers are Nigerians, sons of the soil, from
various communities, who have abandoned kinship for criminality.

“This is a Nigerian problem with Nigerian faces. The challenge is not ethnic, but systemic poverty, arms proliferation, impunity, injustice, and the erosion of local governance. We must lift
the veil of stereotypes and deal with the truth.Criminals come from every group; justice must be
blind to identity” The statement concluded .

Reeling on the way forward the concerned Leaders and citizens asserted that “We refuse to be silent accomplices. We call on the Presidency, National Assembly, Governors,traditional rulers, religious leaders, security chiefs, civil society, and every Nigerian of
conscience: let us forge a new path.

” We propose urgent creation of a Presidential Task Force on National Security, with extraordinary
powers and a clear mandate to coordinate and execute emergency measures to halt the violence.

“This Taskforce should work directly with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and all relevant
security, intelligence, and humanitarian agencies” They advised