The Arewa Consultative Forum has questioned the Federal Government’s response to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, warning that political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections appear to be taking priority over the protection of lives.
The forum said the continued killings, mass abductions and attacks on communities demanded urgent government action, not a growing preoccupation with the next general elections.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, the ACF expressed concern that armed groups continued to operate across several states while citizens remained exposed to attacks and kidnappings.
It also faulted President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Anniversary address, arguing that its treatment of insecurity did not reflect the gravity of the crisis confronting Nigerians.
The group cited reports of killings, abductions and looting in Zamfara, where five separate incidents were reportedly recorded in one day.
It also listed continuing attacks in Plateau, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Katsina and Kogi states, alongside kidnappings in Chikun Local Government Area and communities around Kaduna metropolis.
The forum raised further concern over children reportedly held by terrorists in Borno, Kwara and other states, as well as the reported abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps members travelling to their orientation camp in Imo State.
According to the ACF, the spread of violence poses a serious threat to communities, livelihoods and the country’s stability.
“Without equivocation ACF insists that now is the time to stop the politics and end the killings,” the statement said.
The forum warned that the growing focus on the 2027 elections must not distract the government from its primary responsibility of protecting citizens.
It urged the administration to move beyond assurances and take concrete steps to secure vulnerable communities.
“As time is fast running out, electioneering campaigns must give way to action over insecurity,” the ACF said.
