The Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace, IDFP, has urged President Bola Tinubu to confront Nigeria’s deepening socio-economic crisis as a vital step toward curbing rising insecurity.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, leaders of the IDFP, a coalition of 120 Christian and Muslim religious leaders, warned that poverty, unemployment, and inequality were driving violence, extremism, and youth restiveness.
Rev. Abainitus Hamman, the forum’s Christian Co-Chair, said Nigeria’s worsening security could not be separated from the economic realities facing millions of citizens.
“Behind insecurity lies a deeper socio-economic crisis, rising unemployment, inflation, and unequal opportunities that continue to push millions into despair. Unless addressed holistically, these hardships will remain fertile ground for radicalisation, violent extremism, and violent conflicts,” he added.
The forum commended the government’s recent success in arresting leaders of the Islamic State in West African Province, ISWAP, but stressed that insecurity extended beyond armed groups.
“It is about the weaponization of Nigeria’s most vulnerable population, which has become a silent enabler of violence, fueling crime, communal clashes, and extremist recruitment.
“Nigeria cannot afford deeper fractures at this critical juncture. What is required now is courageous leadership, rooted in collaboration, compassion, and the protection of every citizen’s dignity,” he added.
