Reps Minority Caucus Urges Tinubu to Halt Bloodshed in the North, Release El-Rufai

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take immediate and decisive action to end the escalating wave of terrorism and banditry across Northern Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Thursday amid growing attacks on communities, the caucus said the scale of killings, kidnappings and displacement had become intolerable, urging the President to deploy a sustained and coordinated security operation to reclaim territories controlled by terrorists and criminal gangs.

The lawmakers, in the statement signed by Hon. Fredrick Agbedi, leader minority caucus, and Hon. Afam Victor Ogene minority caucus spokesperson, cited recent attacks in several northern states, including Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina, where dozens of residents have reportedly been killed or abducted.

In Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, the caucus said more than 20 people were killed in recent attacks, including at least 23 victims in one incident. In Niger State, armed men reportedly attacked communities in Borgu Local Government Area and abducted more than 60 worshippers during Friday prayers.

The caucus also cited the killing of at least 40 people in Ungushi community, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, including the Chief Imam, Imam Aliyu, as well as the death of at least 30 people in an attack on Naridon village in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

According to the lawmakers, continued bandit attacks and reprisals in Katsina State have further deepened fear among residents.

The situation in Borno State was also highlighted, with the caucus expressing concern over schoolchildren who have remained missing months after their abduction.

“This is no longer a situation that can be addressed principally through statements of condemnation after every attack,” the caucus said, insisting that Nigeria needs an “intelligence-led” and sustained security response.

The lawmakers urged Tinubu to replicate on a larger scale the strategy that led to the rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

They called for affected areas to be placed under intensive security operations, with security forces directed to dominate the territory and conduct sustained operations against terrorist and bandit hideouts, forests and criminal enclaves.

The caucus stressed that such measures should target the operational space of criminal groups rather than innocent civilians.

“We are calling on the President to lock down the affected theatres of operation, dominate the territory and sweep the forests, hideouts and criminal enclaves where terrorists and bandits operate. Such an operation must be intelligence-led, professionally executed and sustained until the criminal elements are neutralised and the abducted citizens rescued.

“We are not asking the President to lock down innocent Nigerians. We are asking the Commander-in-Chief to lock down the operational space of terrorists and bandits, deny them freedom of movement, cut off their supply lines and communications and deploy overwhelming force against those who have turned parts of the North into killing fields and centres of mass abduction,” the lawmakers said.

They also urged the President to visit Zamfara State and travel to Illela to engage directly with communities affected by insecurity, arguing that Nigerians need to see their President physically present in areas suffering from attacks and abductions.

The Minority Caucus further called for extraordinary funding for the security campaign, proposing that the Federal Government consider drawing $5 billion from the nation’s external reserves if necessary.

“If funding is an issue, the government should draw $5 billion from the nation’s external reserves for an extraordinary national security intervention. The primary purpose of government is the welfare and security of the people and no expenditure can be more fundamental than protecting the lives and livelihoods of Nigerian citizens,” the caucus said.

The lawmakers welcomed the recent increase in the salaries of members of the Armed Forces, describing it as an important step towards improving the welfare and morale of soldiers. However, they urged the President to immediately forward the necessary amendment to the 2026 Appropriation Act and a Supplementary Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly.

They said the National Assembly should be prepared to reconvene, if necessary, to ensure that the salary increase is implemented without bureaucratic delays.

The statement also addressed the detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, which it said  “has increasingly assumed the character of a political persecution.”

The caucus demanded his immediate release, arguing “our concern is not merely about one individual. It is about the credibility and consistency of the Federal Government’s anti-corruption campaign. The composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and the prominent roles occupied within that political structure by individuals who have themselves been the subject of serious corruption allegations and public controversy, has made a mockery of the government’s claim to be pursuing a principled and even-handed war against corruption.

“It is difficult for the government to demand public confidence in its anti-corruption campaign when the political architecture through which the President seeks the mandate of Nigerians included individuals whose records and allegations have raised serious questions about the integrity of that campaign.”

The Minority Caucus said Nigerians needed action rather than condolences and called on President Tinubu to use his constitutional authority and the country’s security resources to protect citizens.

“The bloodshed in Northern Nigeria must stop. The abducted must be rescued. The terrorists and bandits must be defeated,” the caucus said.