By Muhammad Mamman
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has once again raised alarm over the escalating wave of violence across Nigeria, warning that the country is fast degenerating into a killing field.
Citing data from Amnesty International, Obi revealed that more than 10,000 Nigerians have lost their lives to terrorists, bandits and criminal gangs in just two years under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement on his official X handle on Monday, Obi lamented:
“Despite not being at war, killings, abductions and banditry continue daily across our nation at a frightening pace. The recent attack in Okigwe, Imo State, which left many dead and several others missing, is yet another tragic reminder of our worsening insecurity.”
He drew attention to Amnesty International’s scathing indictment of the government, which accused authorities of “stunning failure” in protecting citizens while emboldening criminal groups.
According to reports, last week alone saw over 50 worshippers massacred in a Katsina mosque, more than 60 residents abducted in the same state, and at least 15 farmers killed in Mangu, Plateau State — displacing over 200 families in the process.
Obi noted that the civilian death toll in Nigeria in the past two years mirrors that of Ukraine, a nation officially at war.
“Nigeria, which is not at war, has recorded over 10,000 civilian deaths in two years — nearly matching Ukraine’s war-time losses. Instead of improving, insecurity has deepened, with new armed gangs springing up,” he stressed.
The former Anambra governor urged political leaders to rise above partisan squabbles and confront the crisis head-on.
“The first duty of any government is the protection of lives and property. We must set aside politicking, name-calling and empty rhetoric. Citizens must come first. The time to act is now. A new Nigeria is possible.”
