Nigeria TV Info

ACF Chairman Warns Boko Haram and Bandits Have “Declared War on Nigeria,” Calls for Coordinated Response

The Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Bashir Dalhatu, has warned that both Boko Haram and armed bandits have effectively “declared war on Nigeria,” urging a coordinated West African military response and urgent reinforcement of the country’s security architecture.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Dalhatu said:
"This problem has been going on for the last 16 years, starting from Boko Haram down to the bandits in the North-West and now the North-Central states. It has been very, very problematic. Governments have been trying in their own way to tackle this problem from the beginning, but unfortunately till now the problems have persisted."

He noted a recent spike in attacks but also a renewed federal push:
"Recently, we have seen a resurgence of attacks, but we have also noticed a resurgence of government determination to take care of it. We are very hopeful that this latest government determination will work well for all of us, so that we can get to the root of this problem and eliminate it."

Explaining the nature of insecurity across the northern region, Dalhatu differentiated between extremist insurgency and profit-driven criminality.

He said:
"From the beginning, we all know it started with Boko Haram in the North-East. That one is religious philosophy and ideology. They want to establish an Islamic state, and so they fight and kill anybody they believe is a hindrance to the attainment of their philosophy."