The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), yesterday, raised concerns over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent national address, criticising his failure to address the severe security crisis affecting the region. 

The body argued that the President’s speech “overlooked the escalating issues of banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes that have plunged the North-West and surrounding areas into a state of fear and instability.”

Its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, pointed out that the policing of communities in northern Nigeria has become a critical challenge, stating: “Criminal elements continue to wreak havoc, causing immense suffering for the residents of these regions.” 

He submitted that the forum’s statement reflects “a pressing need for proactive and effective measures to reassure and protect communities grappling with escalating insecurity.”

Suleiman continued: “As a result, many communities have been forced to abandon their farmlands. Schools have been shut down, and livelihoods destroyed. NEF is gravely concerned that the President’s recent speech failed to address these urgent issues or provide reassurance to the communities living in constant fear and uncertainty.”