Our Reporter, Abuja
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has again raised concerns over the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, lamenting that the rate of killings and abductions in the country is fast approaching that of war-torn nations.
In a post on his X handle on Monday, Obi said the country cannot stop mourning the daily loss of innocent lives to banditry, terrorism, and communal violence, despite not being officially at war.
“The recent attack in Okigwe, Imo State, that claimed many lives, with several others still missing and feared dead, reflects once again the alarming insecurity reality in our dear country,” Obi stated.
He cited Amnesty International’s weekend report, which described the government’s “stunning failure” to protect citizens as emboldening armed groups. According to him, the rights watchdog recorded multiple bloody incidents within a single week — including the killing of over 50 worshippers in a Katsina mosque, the abduction of more than 60 people in the same state, and the killing of at least 15 farmers in Mangu, Plateau State, which displaced over 200 families.
Obi also drew attention to Amnesty’s disclosure that over 10,000 Nigerians have been killed by armed groups in the past two years of the current administration. “Instead of improving security, insecurity has worsened under this administration, with new armed gangs emerging,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor compared Nigeria’s security crisis to Ukraine’s war situation.
“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,” he said.
He warned that the figures paint a grim picture of a country sliding into an unending cycle of violence.
“This means that, in just two years, Nigeria’s insecurity crisis has taken almost as many civilian lives as a country under open warfare,” he added.
Calling for urgent action, Obi stressed that the first duty of government is to secure the lives and property of its citizens.
“We must now wake up as a nation. 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,” he declared.
