The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has condemned the gruesome killing of over 20 Nigerian soldiers in a terrorist ambush near Bangi, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, calling it a devastating indicator of the total collapse of security in Northern Nigeria.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday by NEF spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the Forum declared that the region is "under siege" by terrorist groups and demanded that the Federal Government immediately declare a State of Emergency on security across the North.

The June 24, 2025 attack, which overwhelmed a military base and left scores of soldiers dead, was described by the Forum as "a declaration of war against the Nigerian state." The statement added, “The state is steadily losing.”

 “More than 20 uniformed defenders of our nation were slaughtered like animals… This is not just an attack; it is a declaration of war against the Nigerian state,” Jiddere said.

NEF lamented that the killing spree across the region, spanning Benue, Plateau, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Borno, and now Niger State, has turned Northern Nigeria into a war zone. The Forum described the crisis not as random insecurity, but as an "unrelenting campaign of terror, mass murder, and state failure."

 “Entire communities are being wiped out; homes torched, lives shattered, while the killers roam freely, unchallenged and unpunished,” the statement read.

The Forum accused the government of gross failure in its constitutional duty to protect lives and property, warning that the patience of the North has run out.

 “We will no longer accept hollow condolences, tired speeches, or empty press releases. Nigerians deserve visible, aggressive, and accountable action now.”

NEF warned that continued federal inaction or downplaying of the crisis would further provoke public anger and could lead to open resistance, emphasizing that the government risks losing legitimacy if it cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens.

 “The blood of Northern Nigerians is not cheap. Our soldiers are not cannon fodder. Our citizens will not continue to die silently while a complacent government watches from a distance.”

The Forum called for decisive joint military and intelligence operations to track and eliminate every terrorist and armed group, regardless of their location or political backing.

“Enough is enough. We will not be silent. The North will not kneel before terror,” NEF concluded.