The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has condemned the killing of over 20 Nigerian soldiers in a terrorist ambush near Bangi, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, describing it as fresh evidence that security in Northern Nigeria has completely collapsed.
In a statement issued Saturday, NEF spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, said the attack, which occurred on Tuesday, June 24, was not an isolated case but “a declaration of war against the Nigerian state.”
“More than 20 uniformed men, defenders of the nation, were slaughtered like animals,” Jiddere said. “This is not just an attack, it is a declaration of war, and the state is losing.”
NEF said the attack reflects a broader crisis, citing a wave of violence across states like Benue, Plateau, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Borno, and Niger.
According to the Forum, “the northern region is now under siege” by terrorists who continue to operate freely, while accusing the federal government of being “either unable or unwilling” to confront the threat.
“This barbaric assault is only the latest chapter in the ongoing bloodbath,” Jiddere added. “Entire communities are being wiped out, homes torched, lives shattered, and still, the killers roam freely.”
He said the government has failed in its basic duty to protect Nigerians, adding that people in the North are out of patience.
“The Northern Elders Forum will no longer accept hollow condolences, tired speeches, or sterile press releases,” the statement read. “If the federal government continues to delay, deflect, or downplay this crisis, Nigerians will have no choice but to believe that this inaction is willful—or worse, complicit.”
The group called for the immediate declaration of a **State of Emergency on security in the North**, demanding joint military and intelligence operations with clear orders to track and dismantle all armed groups.
“The blood of Northern Nigerians is not cheap. Our soldiers are not cannon fodder,” the Forum warned. “We will not be silent. The North will not kneel before terror.”
NEF also cautioned that continued federal inaction could provoke a loss of public trust in the government and the rise of open resistance from abandoned communities.
“The legitimacy of any government that cannot or will not protect its citizens is gone. Enough is enough,” the statement concluded.
