A former Senator who represented Kaduna Central at the defunct 8th National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has called on northern political elites to confront the root causes of insecurity in the region rather than playing politics with the menace.

He accused Northern leaders of exploiting the region’s security challenges for political gain ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the Open Heart Foundation and the Women Empowerment Centre in Kaduna, Sani delivered a sweeping critique of the political hypocrisy of the Arewa failed leadership, and the deepening insecurity that has plagued the northern region for more than a decade.

Specifically, he pointed to almajirci, mass illiteracy, poverty and underdevelopment in the region as some of the root causes of insecurity. He urged Northern leaders to confront the situation headlong without further excuses.

Sani said, “The terrorists in the North-East are northerners. The bandits in the North-West speak Hausa, Fulfulde and Kanuri, not Mandarin or French. This is our problem. Only we can solve it.”

The civil rights activist urged civic organisations and groups to hold government accountable, as he warned them against becoming tools in political battles.

“Continue to speak out, but never allow yourselves to be used to undermine our security agencies,” he said.

“The future of the North depends on courage, honesty and unity. The question remains: When will the North sit down and confront its problems sincerely?” Sani added.

He further stated, “For 15 years, northern Nigeria has been a theatre of bloodshed,” recounting attacks by terrorists and bandits across the North-East and North-West. “Schools, churches, mosques, villages, nothing has been spared since 2013.”

Sani argued that the region’s security collapse mirrors crises in neighbouring Chad, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, warning that insurgent networks now operate across West Africa “with increasing boldness.”

“Some are celebrating attacks because it weakens the government”, accusing certain political actors of cheering violence in hopes of damaging the current administration.

“Some of the loudest voices today were silent when thousands were kidnapped under a government they called ‘our own’,” he said.

Sani further stressed, “Now they attempt to weaponise insecurity as 2027 approaches. Some even rejoice when soldiers fall. This is immoral.”

He listed the high-profile school attacks of the past decade: Bethel Baptist High School, Greenfield University, Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Jangebe, Yauri and others, noting that many victims spent years in captivity while leaders looked away.

Sani also blasted the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, who recently alleged that the current administration of Uba Sani had paid over a billion naira to bandits.

“It is on record that Nasir El-Rufai admitted that he once appeased bandits. Under his watch, Kaduna witnessed some of its worst divisions. He even withdrew his own son from a nearby school due to insecurity. The irony is loud,” he said.

While insisting that Kaduna is not yet safe, Sani said the current administration deserves credit for reducing religious tension and improving security in flashpoints such as Birnin Gwari.

“Governor Uba Sani never claimed 100 per cent peace, but the relative calm and the reintegration of communities must be acknowledged,” he said, adding that President Bola Tinubu’s government has also made measurable progress.

Sani dismissed expectations that external powers would solve Nigeria’s security crisis.

“The United States will not save us. Europe will not,” he said.

“Our salvation lies in strengthening our armed forces and uniting as citizens. Insecurity does not stop at borders”, he added.

He warned that as elections draw nearer, attacks on schools, churches and mosques may rise because “some actors view bloodshed as a route to power.”

Besides, the Acting Chairperson of the Open Heart Foundation, Hassan Abdullai Zubairu, and the Chairperson of the Women Skill Empowerment Centre, Rabiatu Nasiru, expressed agony and pain over the kidnapping of students and insecurity generally across the country.

“It is with heavy hearts that we visit you today. We are saddened as mothers that our children are kidnapped, and they are suffering in the bush in the hands of bandits. We are calling on government and well-meaning Nigerians to ensure that these children and any other kidnapped victims are returned home safe and sound”, the women groups said.

The leadership of these two Kaduna-based NGOs called on Senator Sani, as a human rights activist, to take their cry and concerns to the appropriate authorities to rid the country of insecurity.