Key Points

• The Arewa Consultative Forum, meeting in Abuja, declared Nigeria’s security crisis a “state of war” and demanded a war-time approach from the federal government, including scaling down non-essential spending.
• Six soldiers and a woman were killed in a Boko Haram attack on a military formation in Borno’s Askira-Uba Local Government Area on the same day as the ACF’s declaration.
• A US lawmaker and international coalition called on President Tinubu to review his defence leadership and forwarded a formal security assessment to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Arewa Consultative Forum has stopped calling Nigeria’s security problem an insurgency. It is now calling it a war.

At its 38th Board of Trustees meeting in Abuja, the influential northern body warned that the scale, persistence and human toll of violence across the country now threaten national stability and survival.

The meeting, chaired by Bashir Dalhatu, brought together prominent northern leaders including former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, former President of the United Nations General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Mahmud Ahmed.

The communique made clear how the forum views the situation. “The scale, persistence and human cost of violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” it read.

“Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads. The escalating security crisis threatens not just lives, but the very stability and future of the nation.”

Soldiers dying while forum meets

The timing of the declaration carried its own grim punctuation. While the meeting was underway in Abuja, six soldiers and a civilian woman were killed in an attack by Boko Haram on a military formation in Mussa community, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. Sources said scores of the attackers were also killed in the engagement.

Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, confirmed the attack from Maiduguri and turned it into a demand. He called on the federal government to fully equip its security forces, saying troops are being sent to fight without the tools to survive.

“Our Nigerian Armed Forces are doing their best in fighting Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, but they are handicapped in terms of weapons,” Ndume said. “There is the urgent need on the federal government to train, equip, arms and motivate the military forces.

Our military and other security agencies should have access to Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, fighter jets and drones if really we want to end Boko Haram madness.”

Benishiekh holds, barely

Separately, troops of Operation Hadin Kai repelled an attack on Benishiekh, Borno State, the night of April 14, 2026, at about 11:15 p.m. Troops of the 29 Task Force Brigade contained the assault and forced the insurgents to withdraw in disarray.

Three soldiers were injured and evacuated to the 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital. No soldier was killed in the engagement. The military said exploitation of the area was ongoing.

War-time approach demanded

The ACF said hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been killed or displaced in states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger and Kwara, and noted that senior military officers were among the casualties.

“Families have been shattered, livelihoods destroyed, and entire generations traumatized,” the forum said.

The forum noted that in recent weeks alone, several senior military commanders were killed in the northeast, including Brig. Gen. Oseni Omoh Braimah of the 29 Task Force Brigade, the commanding officer of the 242 Battalion in Monguno, and officers at multiple other bases.

The ACF called on the federal government to adopt a “war-time approach,” including temporarily scaling down non-essential spending to redirect resources toward security. “Redirecting national resources toward security is not a diversion from economic development; it is a prerequisite for it,” the communique read.

US lawmaker piles on pressure

Florida State Representative Kimberly Daniels, acting as chairwoman of the Supreme Council of the United World Congress of Diplomats, released a formal security assessment calling on President Bola Tinubu to review the country’s defence leadership.

The report specifically called for a review of the job specifications of Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, citing what it described as red flags from allegations raised by the Zamfara State government and terror kingpin Bello Turji.

Daniels and fellow Florida lawmaker Rep. Plakon co-sponsored House Resolution 761, which condemned the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and supports redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

The resolution passed with 100 percent bipartisan support in the Florida House during the 2026 session. Daniels said her statement and report have been forwarded to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.