A former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, and others who identified themselves as Concerned Nigerian Leaders have called for the establishment 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.
The leaders called on the Presidency, National Assembly, governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security chiefs, civil society, and every Nigerian of conscience to come together to forge a new path on how to tackle insecurity.
The task force, the leaders said, should work directly with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and all relevant security, intelligence, and humanitarian agencies.
The leaders made their views known in a statement issued in Saturday and jointly signed by Kadaria Ahmed, Nuruddeen Muhammad, Chidoka, Opeyemi Adamolekun, Frank Nweke, Jamila Ibrahim, among others.
The leaders noted that the nation was bleeding and therefore, resolved to stand united by one conviction that rises above all differences, stressing that silence is complicity, while inaction is betrayal.
They lamented that in just two years, Nigeria has recorded at least 10,217 violent killings, according to Amnesty International.
They said over roughly the same period, Ukraine’s war claimed 10,000–12,000 civilian lives, Gaza’s devastating siege has taken over 35,000, and Syria, still reeling from civil war, now averages 3,000–5,000 deaths annually.
They pointed out that parts of Nigeria are enduring wartime levels of slaughter, “yet, we are officially at peace.”
The leaders lamented that the devastation at home was chilling, with Benue State alone having witnessed 6,896 killed, over 450,000 displaced, and entire local councils hollowed out by fear.
They noted: “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.
“Similar horrors persist in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, and Niger, where bandits have turned entire districts into fiefdoms.
“Meanwhile, Boko Haram is resurging in the North-east, 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.
“The South-east, too, is gripped by relentless killings by unknown gunmen, making peace increasingly elusive.”
The leaders wondered why such a nightmare must continue.
They added: “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 farmer 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.”
The leaders believed that other countries torn by even deeper divisions found the courage to change course.
James Emejo and Adedayo Akinwale
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