By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
The Director General of the Arewa Cohesion Initiative, Dr. Abdullahi Idris, has raised fresh concerns over the worsening insecurity across Northern Nigeria, warning that the region’s stability and future are under serious threat.
Addressing journalists in Bauchi on Saturday, Idris described the situation as one of the most profound crises in recent history, citing escalating cases of banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and communal clashes.
He stressed that rural communities remain the hardest hit, with schools shut, farms abandoned and local economies severely disrupted.
The group lamented the growing humanitarian toll, noting that thousands of families have been displaced while livelihoods continue to collapse, deepening poverty and food insecurity.
Idris warned that a generation of young people is at risk due to disrupted education and exposure to violence.
He attributed the crisis to multiple factors, including youth unemployment, weak governance structures, proliferation of small arms, and a breakdown of trust between communities and security agencies, insisting that security must be treated as a collective responsibility involving government, communities and civil society.
Calling for decisive action, the Arewa Cohesion Initiative urged government at all levels to strengthen security architecture through improved deployment, modern technology and better intelligence coordination. It also advocated for community-based policing, economic empowerment programmes for youths, and swift justice to end impunity.
Idris further emphasized the need for urgent humanitarian support and reconstruction of affected communities, declaring that the time for rhetoric has passed and that only concrete, coordinated action can restore peace and stability in the region.
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