Northern leaders, under the umbrella of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), have said terrorists operating in Nigeria have declared total war in the country, urging the Federal Government to live up to the challenge and contain the menace.

According to the group, the nation’s security crisis has moved far beyond a routine governance challenge, pointing out that it has since evolved from insurgency in the Northeast, banditry and mass kidnappings across the Northwest and Northcentral, persistent inter-communal clashes, violent conflicts between herders and farmers, to a state of all-out war that now threatens the continued existence of the country.

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of ACF met and issued a communique, saying: “The scale, persistence, and human cost of violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities.”

Signed by the BoT Chairman, Bashir Dalhatu, and made available to journalists in Kaduna yesterday, the communiqué noted that “the time has come for the government of Nigeria to treat this crisis not as one issue among many, but as the overriding national emergency.”

THE charge came as the Nigerian Army, yesterday, buried Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah, Captain Ismail, and other soldiers killed in a recent attack by insurgents in Borno State.

The officers and men were laid to rest at the Maimalari Cantonment Cemetery in Maiduguri with full military honours.

The fallen soldiers were killed on April 9 when suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters launched coordinated attacks on military positions in Benisheikh, a strategic town in Kaga Local Council along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook handle, the Army described the burial ceremony as solemn and emotionally charged.

MEANWHILE, troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Hadin Kai have repelled an attack by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists on Benisheikh in Borno State, preventing an attempted overrun of the town.

The development was disclosed in a post shared by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, via his X handle.

Security sources said the incident occurred at about 11:15 p.m. on April 14, 2026.

The sources stated that troops of the Headquarters 29 Task Force Brigade came under attack but successfully repelled the insurgents, forcing them to retreat.

No soldier was reported killed in the encounter, although three personnel sustained injuries during the exchange of gunfire.

The injured troops were evacuated to the 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital for treatment.

The military said the number of casualties on the side of the attackers could not be immediately confirmed, noting that follow-up operations were ongoing to track the fleeing fighters and assess the extent of damage.

Sources added that the overall security situation in the area remains calm but unpredictable.