The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has issued a grave warning to the Federal Government, declaring that Northern Nigeria is “bleeding” under the weight of unrelenting violence and that continued inaction amounts to “criminal negligence.”

The statement follows a horrific attack on June 20, in which over a dozen people were killed when a mob set fire to a bus carrying wedding guests traveling from Zaria, Kaduna State, to Quan Pan Local Government Area in Plateau State. Many of the victims suffered severe burns and injuries in what NEF described as a “brutal massacre.”

In a strongly worded statement released Tuesday by the forum’s spokesperson, Abubakar Jiddere, NEF condemned the attack as a reflection of Nigeria’s deepening security crisis and a collapse of leadership at the highest levels.

“This country is bleeding, and it is bleeding from the North,” the forum declared. “The obligation to protect life and restore order is not a favour the government grants — it is a constitutional imperative. Failure to act now is not just negligence. It is complicity.”

NEF described the targeted attack on innocent travellers as a “premeditated atrocity” and a “crime against humanity,” accusing the Nigerian state of failing its most basic duty: safeguarding human life.

The group painted a bleak picture of security across the region, highlighting widespread suffering:

• North-West: Villages are deserted, and communities are ravaged by mass abductions and killings.

• North-East: Terrorist attacks persist, with no end in sight.

• North-Central: Daily life is haunted by random killings and routine kidnappings.

“What was once sporadic unrest has now mutated into systemic terror,” the statement continued. “This terror thrives under the shadow of impunity and government inertia.”

NEF urged the federal government to act decisively and immediately, warning that failure to address the spiraling violence could lead to deeper instability and further erode citizens’ trust in governance.

“The cost of delay is paid in blood. The time to act is now,” the forum concluded.