Northern Groups Sound Alarm Over Coordinated Destabilization Plot
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has raised a serious alarm over what it describes as a coordinated and escalating onslaught against Northern Nigeria. In a strong statement issued on Wednesday, the group alleged that foreign interests are collaborating with domestic saboteurs to destabilize the region and plunge the country into deeper insecurity.
Foreign Interference and Misinformation Campaign
The CNG expressed particular concern about the role of the United States, stating that despite its advanced intelligence capabilities, the US has fallen for a dangerous propaganda narrative. The group's National Coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, who signed the statement, noted that this narrative falsely portrays violence in Plateau and Benue as genocide while ignoring heavier casualties in states like Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Borno.
Charanchi described as alarming that US President Donald Trump appears influenced by misinformation not supported by the CIA, FBI, or even the US Embassy in Nigeria. He pointed to Trump's special envoy for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, who had publicly dismissed the genocide claims as baseless.
The CNG stated that the recent escalation of attacks appears timed to validate these fictitious genocide claims and prepare the international stage for hostile actions against Nigeria. These attacks are not random but deliberate attempts to give false narratives the appearance of truth, according to the group.
Deepening Security Crisis and Consequences
The security situation has deteriorated to the point where 47 Federal Government Unity schools and many others across Katsina, Niger, and Kwara have been forced to close. The CNG regrets that authorities have resorted to closing schools across a region that is already educationally disadvantaged and bears the highest number of out-of-school children in the country.
The group highlighted several recent incidents that demonstrate the severity of the threat:
- The abduction of worshippers in Kwara
- Schoolgirls kidnapped in Kebbi
- 315 students and teachers abducted in Niger State
- 64 residents kidnapped in Tsafe, Zamfara
- The murder of a Brigadier General
The kidnapping in Zamfara occurred on the very day the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, visited the state, serving as a stark reminder of the deepening insecurity and continuing vulnerability of citizens.
Call to Action and Government Demands
The CNG demanded that the Federal Government recognize that Nigeria is confronting a premeditated internal and external conspiracy to destabilize the nation. The group urged decisive action by identifying, exposing, and prosecuting all those, both local and foreign, who manufacture and spread toxic falsehoods.
Specific demands include:
- Deploying Service Chiefs to remain in affected theatres until terrorist networks are dismantled
- Creating a high-powered monitoring committee for transparent security updates
- Harmonizing efforts between federal and state governments and traditional rulers
- Securing Nigeria's porous borders to stem the influx of criminal elements and weapons
The group condemned the spread of dangerous misinformation, including a viral video allegedly showing IPOB terrorists disguising themselves as Hausa/Fulani attackers to incite ethnic hatred. Such propaganda, they said, forms part of a broader strategy to distort public understanding and deepen national divisions.
The CNG held the government responsible for the persistent deterioration of security due to what it described as an incoherent, complacent, and dangerously indifferent approach. It warned that history would judge harshly any leader who fails in the basic duty of securing lives and property.
