ABUJA – The Nigeria Youth Forum (NYF) has expressed concern over Nigeria’s escalating security crisis, revealing that at least 3,610 Nigerians were killed by bandits and Boko Haram insurgents between January and March 2025.
The group called on the Federal Government to act decisively, warning that the country is drifting dangerously toward anarchy.
In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Toriah Olajide Felani, the NYF described the ongoing killings in Benue, Zamfara, Katsina, Borno, Plateau, and the emergence of terror-linked groups in Kwara as a coordinated assault on national stability.
The group rejected the National Assembly’s proposed security summit, dismissing it as a repetitive and ineffective measure.
“We have no confidence whatsoever in the National Assembly’s proposed security summit. It will amount to another round of talk shows and hollow communiqués. If the president had sacked just one GOC or Commissioner of Police over the atrocities in these states, others would have sat up by now,” Felani stated.
The NYF cited a recent BBC Hausa report, which detailed the alarming statistics of killings and abductions across the country.
Niger State recorded the highest number of deaths with 631 persons killed, followed by Zamfara with 585 deaths and Borno with 514 fatalities. Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Kebbi also witnessed significant violence.
Additional data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that over 614,000 Nigerians were killed in the past year, with 2.2 million abducted nationwide.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported 4,556 fatalities and 7,086 abductions between May 2023 and May 2024 alone, with the North-West and North-Central zones being the most affected.
“Nigeria is bleeding while our leaders chase shadows. Every week, the country is plunged into fresh chaos, and all we get are recycled press statements and condolence messages,” the NYF lamented.
On the floor of the National Assembly, Hon. Ahmadu Jaha, member representing Damboa, Gwoza, and Chibok Federal Constituency of Borno State, decried the resurgence of Boko Haram and ISWAP, revealing that insurgents now deploy weaponized drones more advanced than those in the Nigerian military’s arsenal.
The NYF echoed these concerns, warning that recent attacks in Uromi (Edo), Jos (Plateau), and parts of Kaduna are clear signs of an expanding warfront.
The group attributed the violence to foreign mercenaries and well-armed bandit networks infiltrating Nigeria’s porous borders.
“Tuareg fighters, Berbers, and war-hardened militias from the Sahel have infiltrated Nigeria’s porous borders. These are not random attacks; they are planned operations with strategic objectives,” Felani said.
The NYF cautioned that Nigeria risks descending into full-scale war if urgent and far-reaching actions are not taken immediately.
The group called for immediate reforms within the security architecture, increased funding, deployment of modern warfare technologies, and political will from the presidency to halt the country’s descent into chaos.
“If this trend continues, banks will close, markets will shut down, and the economy will grind to a halt. Checkpoints will be manned by militias. Those dreaming of escape will be trapped behind barricades manned by lawless armed groups,” the NYF warned.
It also advocated for more budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector as a means to reduce unemployment and curtail insecurity.
“We should have no business with hunger and poverty, because there are over 84 million hectares of arable land, of which only 35% are in use by Nigerians mostly on subsistence farming,” the group noted.
The NYF further stressed that the crisis is not a tribal war but a national threat enabled by state failure.
“If Rwanda’s history taught us anything, it is that status and wealth won’t shield anyone when the system collapses,” the statement warned.
By Damilola Adeleke | May 15, 2025
