Northern Forum Demands Service Chiefs’ Removal

The Northern Ethnic National Forum has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently overhaul the nation’s security architecture by sacking the current service chiefs, citing rising insecurity and alleged leadership failures in the fight against terrorism, banditry, and communal violence across the North.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Kaduna, the forum’s spokesperson, Alhaji Ibrahim Danlami, expressed concern over what it described as the “escalating wave of killings, kidnappings, and destruction of livelihoods” in several northern states.

“The people of the North can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed. Our roads are unsafe, our villages are under siege, and our farmlands are deserted because of fear. We believe the service chiefs have exhausted their ideas and must give way for fresh hands,” Danlami said.

The forum also demanded that President Tinubu declare a state of emergency on security to mobilize the full resources of the federal government toward restoring peace in affected regions.

According to the group, communities in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, and Benue have borne the brunt of worsening attacks, with thousands of families displaced and economic activities crippled.

“Without urgent action, the humanitarian crisis in the North will deepen, and the trust of Nigerians in government’s capacity to protect lives and property will be eroded,” the statement added.