Former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over the recent reports of mass abductions and killings in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
Obi, in a statement via his X account described the reported attack on communities, including Dekara, and the abduction of worshippers during Juma’at prayers as deeply disturbing.
NPO Reports recalls that suspected terrorists had last week Friday stormed the Dekara village during Friday prayers in which over 600 worshippers were abducted during the attack.
Reacting to the development, Obi said the incident should compel urgent action from the Federal Government, particularly as the victims were attacked during prayers.
“The fact that Nigerians can be attacked in broad daylight, in their place of worship, abducted in such numbers and taken into the forests should shake the conscience of every Nigerian and compel urgent action from government,” he said.
The former Governor said the safety of Nigerians should take precedence over political considerations, warning that the country could not afford to lose lives while attention was increasingly focused on the next election.
“Elections will come and go, but the lives of Nigerians cannot be recovered once lost,” Obi said.
He called on the government to treat the situation as an emergency by deploying intelligence-led security operations to rescue those in captivity, secure affected communities and dismantle the networks and hideouts allegedly enabling terrorist activities.
Obi also linked the reported difficulties encountered during the initial rescue operation to infrastructure challenges in the area.
He noted that the police had cited difficult terrain and a collapsed bridge as factors that hampered the rescue response, using the situation to renew his call for greater attention to the repair of existing infrastructure.
“Government must treat this as an emergency: deploy overwhelming intelligence-led security operations, rescue every person in captivity, secure the affected communities and dismantle the networks and enclaves enabling these terrorists to operate.
“The Police complain that difficult terrain and a collapsed bridge hampered the initial rescue response in Borgu, which supports my consistent plea to concentrate on repairs of existing infrastructure.”
The former governor expressed solidarity with the Niger State Government, residents of the affected communities and families of those abducted or killed.
He urged the government to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and restore public confidence in its ability to protect citizens.