ABUJA (CHATNEWSTV) — Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned the recent mass killings in Benue State, calling the attack “a national emergency” and a grave indictment of leadership failure in Nigeria.
Reacting to reports that over 200 people, including women, children, and soldiers, were killed in a single onslaught on rural communities, Obi said the scale and frequency of violence in the country had become intolerable.
“My heart is heavy as I learn of yet another horrific series of killings in Benue — of women, children, soldiers, and displaced persons, all senselessly slain,” Obi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday. “This tragedy has become too common in our national life.”
Describing the violence as “a stain on our collective conscience,” the Labour Party leader said Nigerians must reject the normalization of mass killings.
“This is not merely violence. It is a failure of leadership,” he said. “Every life lost is a Nigerian life, each one precious, each one irreplaceable.”
Obi criticized the repeated failure of authorities to protect lives and property — a constitutional duty he said was being neglected.
“When it repeatedly fails, we must ask: What kind of nation are we bequeathing to our children?” he asked.
Calling for urgent and deliberate government action, Obi said it was time for officials at all levels to move beyond “symbolic gestures” and take real steps toward securing vulnerable communities.
“Let your actions speak louder than visits or statements,” he said. “The time has come for the government to prove their commitment to protecting citizens, which is the primary duty of any government.”
Obi also extended condolences and solidarity to the people of Benue, stating, “Your pain is our pain. The blood of your loved ones cries out for justice.”
He ended with a call to reclaim national humanity and restore safety across Nigeria.
“A safe, secure Benue is not too much to ask,” he said. “It is our moral duty, our national duty. This is not the Nigeria we deserve, nor the Nigeria we aspire to. We must end this bloodshed. We must reclaim our humanity.”
Benue State has witnessed repeated episodes of violence in recent years, often attributed to land conflicts, banditry, and militia activity. The latest killings have sparked renewed calls for accountability and security sector reform.
