Abuja, Nigeria – Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has raised alarm over what he described as the “normalisation of insecurity” under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
In a strongly worded statement titled “The Reality of Insecurity in Today’s Nigeria” shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, Obi lamented that widespread killings, kidnappings, and violent attacks across the country no longer draw serious concern from those in power.
Obi cited recent reports of abductions in Zamfara State, where 55 Nigerians were kidnapped, despite ongoing celebrations of a supposed peace deal with bandits in neighbouring Katsina State.
“While news headlines are still celebrating a purported peace deal in Katsina, we were again confronted with another unfortunate reality that 55 of our fellow citizens were abducted in neighbouring Zamfara State,” Obi wrote.
“This contradiction speaks to a disturbing truth – insecurity has become a normal everyday occurrence in Nigeria.”
The former Anambra State governor described the situation as dangerous and unacceptable, stressing that behind every statistic are families destroyed, dreams cut short, and futures stolen.
Obi further questioned the government’s silence in the face of constant violence, warning that it diminishes the dignity of every Nigerian citizen.
“The first duty of leadership is to protect life. Until we place the highest premium on the safety of every Nigerian, we cannot claim to be building a nation,” he said.
He insisted that Nigerians must not accept insecurity as their fate, urging the government to urgently prioritize the protection of lives and property across the country.
According to him, a nation cannot grow or prosper if its citizens live in perpetual fear, and Nigeria’s leaders must show that the life of every citizen matters.