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• Electioneering must give way to action on insecurity
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged the Federal Government and political office holders to put the protection of Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that persistent killings and abductions demand urgent action.
“Without equivocation, ACF insists that now is the time to stop the politics and end the killings,” the forum said in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur A. Muhammad-Baba.
The forum expressed concern that political leaders were concentrating on election and re-election campaigns while communities continued to suffer attacks, kidnappings and bloodshed.
“How much more senseless violence, abductions and bloodshed need to be experienced to elicit appropriate action?
“When will political office holders prioritise security over political election or re-election concerns?” it asked.
According to the ACF, “elected officials and other politically exposed stakeholders seem more concerned and obsessed with the forthcoming 2027 elections”, while “delivering governance has become a far distant priority.”
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The forum cited repeated attacks in Zamfara State, including five separate incidents in one day, saying the state had become “a killing field.”
It also drew attention to the plight of abducted children and other Nigerians still being held by armed groups.
“Scores of children remain in the hands of terrorists in Borno, Kwara and other states,” it said.
While acknowledging the rescue and reunion of abductees with their families in Oyo State, the forum expressed concern about kidnappings and ransom demands in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. It also cited the abduction of National Youth Service Corps members in Imo State.
The ACF criticised the attention given to insecurity in President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address, saying the speech “made only a single, fleeting mention of insecurity, as if just a grudging and irritating footnote.”
It urged those in authority to respond to the attacks with the urgency they deserved and make the safety of citizens a priority over electoral calculations.
“Every new incident of insecurity should be one too many. As time is fast running out, electioneering campaigns must give way to action over insecurity,” the forum said.
