“Wartime Slaughter in Peacetime”: Concerned Nigerian Leaders Demand Emergency Security Task Force

A coalition of prominent Nigerian leaders has declared that parts of the nation are suffering “wartime levels of slaughter,” citing data that reveals 10,217 citizens were killed in violent attacks over the past two years. This figure, compiled by Amnesty International, is noted as being comparable to civilian casualties in Ukraine, despite Nigeria being officially at peace.

The group, Concerned Nigerian Leaders, has urgently called on President Bola Tinubu to establish a Presidential Task Force on National Security with extraordinary powers to address the crisis.

“We propose urgently creating a Presidential Task Force on National Security, with a clear mandate to coordinate and execute emergency measures to halt the violence,” the group stated in a joint statement.

To justify this call for drastic action, they provided a grim regional breakdown of the violence. In Benue State, 6,896 people were reported killed and more than 450,000 displaced. Plateau State recorded 2,630 deaths alongside the widespread destruction of farmland and food sources. In the North-West, the situation is so severe that “bandits have turned entire districts into fiefdoms,” with 638 villages sacked in Zamfara alone.

The statement also warned of a resurgent Boko Haram in the North-East and persistent violence in the South-East.The proposed task force would be equipped with measures including early warning systems, rapid response frameworks, and disarmament programmes.

The leaders argued that “These are unusual times, they require unusual but constitutional measures,” emphasizing the need for bold reform driven by accountability, such as quarterly public security reports.

The appeal was signed by a diverse set of signatories—including Osita Chidoka, Kadaria Ahmed, and Tonye Cole—drawn from all six geopolitical zones, highlighting a demand for unity across political divides. Pointing to examples like Colombia and Rwanda, the leaders insisted that Nigeria can overcome its deep internal conflicts through decisive and coordinated action.