Peter Obi, Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023, has decried the recent wave of violence ravaging parts of Taraba, Benue, and Kogi States, describing the killings as “a gaping wound in the soul of our nation.”
In a statement on X on Wednesday, Obi said the scale of bloodshed in the affected states was not just tragic but indicative of a deeper failure of leadership at the national level.
“What we are witnessing is not merely violence. It is a failure of leadership and a gaping wound in the soul of our nation,” Obi said. “These are not mere statistics, they are our fellow Nigerians. Each life lost is a tragedy that must not be ignored.”
Recent months have seen an alarming rise in deadly attacks in rural communities across the three states, with victims including children, women, and religious leaders. Homes have been destroyed, residents displaced, and entire families wiped out in what Obi described as an unfolding humanitarian disaster.
“The bloodshed is staggering, yet the response remains weak and muted,” he lamented. “As homes are destroyed and communities torn apart, we risk normalising the unacceptable: mass killings, displacement, and the collapse of law and order.”
Obi, who has consistently advocated for improved national security, reiterated that the federal government must prioritise the protection of citizens above all else.
“I have always maintained that the primary duty of the national government is the protection of life and property,” he said. “When this duty is repeatedly ignored, when innocent citizens are butchered and nothing changes, we must ask ourselves: What kind of nation are we building? What future are we promising our children?”
He expressed solidarity with the grieving families and communities, promising to continue to speak out against the violence.
“I mourn with the good people of Taraba, Benue, and Kogi. I share their grief, and I feel their pain. But I also raise my voice because silence in the face of such horror is complicity.”
Calling for urgent and decisive intervention, the opposition leader said, “We need urgent action, not rhetoric. We need justice, not excuses. We as leaders must value human life and will defend it with everything we have.”
“Nigeria cannot continue like this. This is not the Nigeria we deserve. We must end this bloodshed. We must reclaim our humanity,” he added.
