Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has blasted President Bola Tinubu and Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia for their dangerous silence over the spate of killings in Benue State. This is coming after more than 200 people were reportedly killed in a wave of brutal attacks on communities across the state.
Reacting via his social media page, Atiku shared that the current government has clearly failed to protect its people.
According to him, despite different families across the country constantly going through the pain of burying their loved ones amid the insecurity in the land, those in power are still folding their hands and watching from a distance.
He wondered how much more disaster needs to happen before the humanity of the innocent victims will be acknowledged by the leaders.
“For years, families have buried their loved ones in silence, villages have been ravaged, and communities shattered, while those in power watch from a distance, offering nothing but hollow assurances.
How much more must the people of Benue endure before their humanity is acknowledged? Their demand is simple: to live in peace, to sleep without fear, to farm without being slaughtered, and to raise their children without the constant shadow of violence,” he wrote.
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Atiku further slammed the use of force against protesters in Makurdi, where police reportedly fired tear gas to scatter crowds demonstrating against the killings.
He concluded by urging citizens to speak out and demand justice, stressing that Nigerians deserve a government that sees and protects them.
“When citizens take to the streets to protest this injustice, they are not inciting rebellion; they are crying for help. They are demanding what every Nigerian is constitutionally entitled to: the right to life and the protection of that life by the state. But what do they receive in return? Tear gas. Brutality. Disdain. It is pouring hot oil on an open wound.
To unleash force on grieving, defenseless citizens is not governance, it is cruelty. It is a betrayal of the sacred duty of leadership. What kind of government meets a cry for safety with the barrel of a gun and a canister of gas?
This is a call to conscience to every leader at both the federal and state levels: stop turning a blind eye while Benue drowns in blood. Stop offering condolences and start offering solutions. Work with security agencies, deploy resources, and craft a security architecture that prioritises human lives over political optics.
Raise your voices. Demand accountability. Demand justice. Demand a government that sees you, hears you, and protects you. History will not be kind to those who chose power over people. The time to act is now,” he added.
