The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum (ABMPF) has called on the Federal Government to immediately declare a state of emergency on security in Northern Nigeria, backed by a clearly defined tactical and strategic framework with measurable timelines.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, ABMPF Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Yelwa, urged authorities to mobilise citizens to take greater responsibility for their own security, describing the worsening insecurity across the region as a national emergency requiring urgent intervention.
Yelwa said the forum, which comprises more than 150 NBC-licensed radio and television stations across the North, convened out of a “deep sense of patriotism and concern” for the plight of the region and its people.
While commending the Nigerian Armed Forces and intelligence agencies for their sacrifices in combating insecurity, he said recent incidents, including the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State and the death of retired Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Rabe in bandit captivity, had once again highlighted the gravity of the security crisis.
According to him, Northern journalists have become witnesses to the devastating impact of banditry and terrorism, often arriving as first responders to attacks and reporting daily atrocities that have left communities traumatised.
He lamented that recurring violence had desensitised many Nigerians to the suffering of victims, citing cases of residents fleeing into forests and rivers, overcrowded internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, and once-thriving rural communities reduced to ghost towns.
Yelwa recalled that ABMPF had raised concerns over the deteriorating security situation during a security summit held in Kebbi State in November 2025, warning that the crisis posed a serious threat to national unity and stability.
He noted that attacks had escalated significantly in 2026, affecting states including Borno, Yobe, Plateau, Niger, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina and Kaduna.
“Despite various institutional, material and strategic interventions, banditry and terrorism continue to spread,” he said, adding that Northern leaders must identify and expose informants and collaborators aiding criminal groups.
The ABMPF chairman also advocated a shift from what he described as a “culture of victimhood,” urging communities to become more proactive in protecting themselves rather than waiting helplessly for attacks.
He called for the decentralisation of security operations, arguing that effective defence mechanisms should be rooted within local communities.
Responding to questions on self-defence, Yelwa suggested that even basic weapons such as dane guns should be considered to enable communities to resist attacks until security forces arrive.
According to him, delayed responses remain a major challenge, as bandits often complete their operations and disappear before reinforcements can be deployed.
Although he endorsed state police and forest guards as medium-term solutions, Yelwa maintained that only a large-scale deployment of conventional military forces could successfully flush criminals out of forests and other hideouts.
He further described Northern Nigeria as the country’s strategic buffer zone against threats from the Sahel region, warning that insecurity in border areas could easily spread to other parts of the country.
Yelwa cautioned that growing frustration among residents could evolve into “organised anger,” pointing to recent incidents in which displaced persons blocked major roads in protest.
On the economic impact of insecurity, he said crop yields had declined by between 25 and 50 per cent, industries were collapsing, and between 80 and 90 per cent of Nigeria’s out-of-school children were concentrated in the North.
He assured governments at all levels of ABMPF’s willingness to partner in addressing the crisis and urged voters to reject political leaders who exploit ethnic and religious divisions for personal gain.
