Peter Obi: Killings in Nigeria worse than in Ukraine that is officially at war
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has decried the state of insecurity in the country, stressing that the fact that Nigeria, which is not at war has recorded over 10,000 people killed in two years, more than those that have died in Ukraine, which is officially at war is a cause for serious concern.
The former Governor of Anambra State, in an X (formerly Twitter post), insisted that the state of insecurity and alarming statistics of killings “should concern all of us who claim to be politicians and leaders,” stressing that “we must put Nigerian citizens first, stop the politicking, name-calling, and gossip, and focus on addressing these real issues.
Full text of the tweet reads:
Still on the worrisome killings in the country.
We can’t stop bemoaning the unending killings in the country. Despite not being at war, the killing, abduction and banditry incidents in our country continue to be daily and increasing at a worrisome rate. The recent attack in Okigwe, Imo State, that claimed the lives of many, with so many others still missing and feared dead, reflects once again, the alarming insecurity reality in our dear country.
Over the weekend, I read in the dailies that Amnesty International warned that the Nigerian government is emboldening bandits through its “stunning failure” to protect citizens. They described the week as a bloody one, recording several deaths across various parts of the country, including the massacre of over 50 worshippers in a mosque in Katsina, the abduction of over 60 people in the same Katsina State, and the killing of over 15 farmers in Mangu, Plateau State, which displaced more than 200 families in just days. All of these in a single week in the country.
Amnesty International further revealed that in just two years of this administration, over 10,000 Nigerians have been killed by armed groups in various states across Nigeria. Instead of improving security, insecurity has worsened under this administration and in just 2 years, with new armed gangs emerging.
Nigeria, which is not even officially at war, has recorded over 10,000 civilian deaths in just two years, a number similar to civilian deaths in Ukraine, which is officially at war. This means that, in just two years, Nigeria’s insecurity crisis has taken almost as many civilian lives as a country under open warfare.
We must now wake up as a nation. The first duty of any government is to secure the lives and property of its people. This should concern all of us who claim to be politicians and leaders. We must put Nigerian citizens first, stop the politicking, name-calling, and gossip, and focus on addressing these real issues.
The time to act is now.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
