- Safiu Kehinde
The 2023 Labour Party’s Presidential candidate and former Anambra state governor, Peter Obi, has decried alarming rate of insecurity in Nigeria which has according to him claimed over 10,000 lives in the past two years.
Obi stated this while reacting to the recent attack on Okigiwe community in Owerri, Imo State.
According to reports, some unidentified gunmen had on Saturday stormed the community in an attack targeted at newly appointed security chief.
Several people were killed with many others still missing, including the security chief.
Reacting to the development in a post on his X handle on Monday, Obi noted that the killing and abduction rate in Nigeria despite no being at war is worrisome.
Citing a recent report by Amnesty International which claimed over 10,000 Nigerians have been killed in just two years of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, Obi claimed that the figure is similar to the latest number of civilian deaths record in war-torn Ukraine.
The ex-Anambra governor said that Nigeria’s insecurity crisis has taken almost as many civilian lives as a country under open warfare.
He called for action, stressing that the first duty of any government is to secure the lives and property of its people.
The statement read; We can’t stop bemoaning the unending killing 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.