A Coalition of 77 civil society organisations (CSOs), known as the Middle Belt Concern, has made a series of bold demands aimed at halting the ongoing violence in the region.
  
In a communiqué issued at the end of the citizens’ dialogue on “Defeating Terror in the Middle Belt,” the groups stressed the urgent need for government intervention at all levels.
  
The communiqué was signed by Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, Kiyitwe Gotom, Marie Ene Orgah Esq, Redzie Jugo Esq, Samuel Danauta, and Vitalis Ortese, on behalf of the Middle Belt Concern.
   
The coalition’s demands include a call for the immediate protection of lives in the Middle Belt, demanding that local, state, and federal governments fulfil their constitutional duties to prevent the rising pattern of killings and genocide.
   
The civil society groups also called for transparency in the use of security funds by state governors and local council chairpersons, urging accountability in security spending.
   
The coalition, which condemned the harassment and intimidation of victims, community leaders, and human rights advocates, particularly threats against Bishop Wilfred Anagbe for his outspoken stance against terror, warned of the growing influence of terror agents within government structures, urging that the threats should cease immediately.

The groups, however, called for the prosecution of all individuals responsible for violence, including security officials who are complicit in the attacks.

Meanwhile, in an effort to bolster regional security, the coalition proposed the formation of a Middle Belt Governors’ coalition to create a defensive framework similar to the “Amotekun” security model implemented by the South West states of Nigeria.
   
The coalition also pressed for the formal designation of terrorist organisations, including the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), due to their alleged support for violence in the region.
   
It also advocated comprehensive relief measures for victims, including medical support, trauma counselling, and compensation. The organisations, while calling for government-led programmes to rebuild destroyed villages and ensure the safe return of displaced persons, as well as the prosecution of illegal occupiers of lands belonging to the displaced communities, urged the legislators to amend Nigeria’s Firearms Act to allow law-abiding farming communities in the Middle Belt the right to bear arms in self-defence, in line with the constitutional right to protect property.
   
They, however, called on the government, Nigerians, and the international community to join forces to end the violence and secure a peaceful future for the Middle Belt.