The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has stated that the horrific series of killings of women, children, soldiers, and displaced persons in Benue State call for a national emergency.
Mr. Obi, in a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday lamented that over 200 lives have reportedly been extinguished in a single onslaught, homes burnt, families shattered, and communities left in ruin.
Attributing the killings to a failure of leadership, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), warned that the country would no longer accept the normalisation of mass killing. Noting that the primary duty of any government, federal, state, or local is to protect lives and property.
“This is not merely violence. It is a failure of leadership, a stain on our collective conscience. Every life lost is a Nigerian life, each one precious, each one irreplaceable. We cannot accept the normalisation of mass killing. It is intolerable.
“The primary duty of any government, federal, state, or local is to protect lives and property. When it repeatedly fails, we must ask: What kind of nation are we bequeathing to our children?
“To the people of Benue, I say: your pain is our pain. The blood of your loved ones cries out for justice. The survival of our people must not be negotiable; it must be urgent, deliberate, and comprehensive action.
“To all relevant authorities, I say that the time has come to move beyond symbolic gestures to decisive deployment. Let your actions speak louder than visits or statements.
“The time has come for the government to prove their commitment to protecting citizens, which is the primary duty of any government. A safe, secure Benue is not too much to ask, 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,” he said.
