Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mamman Mike Osuman SAN, has warned that worsening insecurity across Northern Nigeria is pushing communities to the brink, and urged political and traditional leaders to prioritise safety and welfare over electioneering.

Speaking at the 79th National Executive Committee meeting of the ACF in Kaduna, Osuman said the North is under sustained assault from terrorism, banditry, insurgency and kidnapping, with entire communities uprooted and livelihoods shattered.

He told delegates that the forum must adopt a sincere, disciplined and action-driven posture, insisting that the downtrodden in the region should be at the centre of every decision and intervention.

Osuman criticised emerging political coalitions whose primary focus, he said, is positioning for the 2027 general elections rather than tackling the deepening crises of out-of-school children, hunger, poverty and relentless attacks by armed groups.

He expressed concern that many elected and appointed officials from the North appear detached from the ACF’s vision and programmes, even as he acknowledged a few who continue to support the forum’s initiatives.

Highlighting recent attacks in parts of Kwara, Southern Kaduna, Katsina and Benue, Osuman noted that villages have been emptied, families scattered and farmlands abandoned. Overcrowded camps and informal settlements, he warned, are fuelling malnutrition, disease and rising mortality, while repeated raids have forced school closures and crippled rural economies.

According to him, insecurity has become so entrenched that the country has had to seek external military assistance, a development he described as a stark indictment of domestic capacity and political will.

Osuman charged ACF state chapters to move beyond rhetoric by engaging systematically with federal and state authorities on peacebuilding, rehabilitation and long-term security reforms. The forum, he stressed, must not be a ceremonial body but a principled, sacrificial and solution-oriented institution.

He announced the approval of a nine-member Code of Conduct and Ethics Committee led by Professor Nuhu Mohammed Jamo, tasked with tightening internal discipline and ensuring strict adherence to the ACF constitution.

Osuman urged members to study the constitution and respect its clear provisions on responsibilities, behaviour and institutional boundaries. As the region moves toward another election cycle, he said, the ACF must help guarantee peaceful, credible polls and intensify civic education.

He cautioned against “unnecessary fanfare” and “window-dressing events” that do little for victims of violence, calling instead for fact-based, forward-looking deliberations aimed at remedy, recovery and progress for the North and the country at large.