A former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has registered his displeasure over the recent killings of citizens of Benue and other states across the country.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Monday, June 16, said the bloodshed in Benue State has reached a devastating crescendo.
The statement titled, ‘Enough is Enough: Benue Cannot Bleed in Silence’, was shared on his social media account.
He described the killings as brutal and a heart-wrenching reality that can no longer be ignored, especially by leadership at all levels.
Atiku expressed worry that numerous families have buried their loved ones in silence while homes and businesses have been ravaged by suspected killer herdsmen or killers in these states.
He also accused leaders saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property of watching in silence from a distance while citizens are murdered on a daily basis.
According to him, the leaders and other relevant authorities have only succeeded in handing the people hollow assurances on plans to end the killings.
“How much more must the people of Benue endure before their humanity is acknowledged?” Atiku queried.
He added, “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.
“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,” he said.
Further condemning the harassment of protesting residents by the state government, Atiku said unleashing force on defenceless citizens is not governance.
“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?
“The silence, the indifference, the lack of urgency, it is all damning. It speaks to a deeper rot in the conscience of leadership, a frightening normalisation of violence against the very people they swore to protect.
The former vice president called on leaders at both national and subnational levels to stop offering condolences and offer solutions that would end the killings.
“Benue is not alone. From Plateau to Zamfara, Kaduna to Taraba; the cries are the same. Nigerians are bleeding and begging to be heard.
“We urge the people not to be silenced. 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,” Atiku said.