By Muhammad Mamman
A prominent northern advocacy organisation has condemned renewed terrorist attacks across parts of Kwara, Katsina and Kaduna states, warning that Nigeria’s current security strategy is failing to protect vulnerable communities.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) said in a statement on Wednesday that the latest wave of violence, which reportedly left several residents killed and many displaced, underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive review of the country’s security architecture.
Describing the attacks as “deeply troubling”, the group expressed concern over what it called the persistent inability of security agencies to stem the growing tide of insurgency, banditry and communal violence in the region.
“The continued loss of innocent lives and destruction of property is unacceptable,” the ACF said. “Government must urgently rethink its approach and adopt more proactive, intelligence-driven measures to safeguard citizens.”
The forum also called on federal and state authorities to strengthen collaboration with local communities, improve intelligence gathering, and ensure better-equipped security personnel are deployed to high-risk areas.
Residents in affected communities have reported repeated raids by armed groups, with attackers targeting villages, farmlands and highways, further worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
Northern Nigeria has for years grappled with insecurity, ranging from armed banditry in the northwest to insurgency-linked violence in the northeast, forcing thousands from their homes and disrupting livelihoods.
The Arewa group urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to treat the crisis as a national emergency, stressing that lasting peace would require not only military action but also socio-economic interventions to address poverty, unemployment and marginalisation.
As pressure mounts from civil society and regional leaders, many Nigerians are calling for decisive action to halt the violence and restore confidence in the country’s security framework.
