Reminiscent of the Goodluck Jonathan presidency for which he was shown the red card in 2015 presidential poll, insecurity-banditry, Boko Haram insurgency, herdsmen attacks and kidnappings for ransom-that result in the killings and brutal hacking to death of thousands of Nigerians, continue to eclipse any little economic achievements recorded by the Ahmed Tinubu government. While the presidency appears more focused on Tinubu’s second term ambition, stakeholders are asking if he can succeed with the wanton destruction of citizens’ lives in the midst of hunger, pain and hardship come 2027 presidential election?
By Our Correspondent
In the estimation of many citizens, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has become the proverbial head of a province who occupied himself with chasing the rats forced out by heat while his house burnt. Last April, President Tinubu had embarked on a retreat in far away France onward to the United Kingdom while the country was at the same time almost overrun by brutal insurgents, kidnappers, bandits and the Fulani herdsmen.
The wanton killings that took place in Kaduna, Niger, Benue and Plateau States among others which were undertaking by the above named criminal elements would have compelled the President to cut short his two weeks trip if Nigeria were to be a sane country, according to political pundits, and return abruptly to take charge of the worsening insecurity across the nation. Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic had remained abroad to complete his holiday as scheduled earlier. While the backlash against the perceived insensitive action continued pouring out in torrents, media handlers of the number one citizen feebly rolled out a defence against his detractors.
According to one of the presidential spokespersons during the retreat period, Bayo Onanuga, while away Tinubu was still in touch with the key government officials even as he dished out orders to his security chiefs. Onanuga stated that, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains fully engaged in Nigeria’s governance even though he is away in Europe. His absence remains temporary and in line with the communicated timeframe of approximately two weeks.
“The president left Paris for London at the weekend and has maintained constant communication with key government officials overseeing critical national matters including directives to security chiefs to address emerging threats in some parts of the country”.
The level to which the insecurity in Tinubu’s absence escalated and continued to escalate after his return, forced many prominent citizens to come hard on the president, with some calling for self-defence by the citizens.
Both Plateau and Benue States were almost overrun by brutal killers who massacred hundreds of citizens without challenge. Some Civil Society Organizations had estimated that over 183 citizens of Benue and Plateau States were sent to their early graves by insurgents, herdsmen and bandits within the third week in the month of April 2025 while President Tinubu jollied abroad.
A statement on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 by a coalition of 21 CSOs, including Advocacy Center for Development (AD4D), Alliance for Africa (AFA), Almajiri Child Rights Initiative (ACRI, All-4-One Humanity Development Foundation, Africa Initiative for Peace Building, Advocacy and Advancement (AfriPeace), Bauchi Human Rights Network, the Benue We Deserve Foundation (BenDef), Capacity Catalyst Consult (Triple C), Center for Advocacy for Justice and Rights, Center for Community Excellence, Center for Democracy and Development among others, said, “The Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities under the auspices of Nigeria Mourns, strongly condemn the recent brutal and coordinated attacks on agrarian communities in Benue and Plateau States, which have led to the loss of at least 183 lives in the third week of April 2025 alone.
Breaking down the killings within the one week under review, the Coalition said 11 citizens were killed in Akpa, Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA), 56 in Logo and Ukum LGA among others in Agatu, Kwande and Katsina-Ala in Benue State.
The CSOs also alleged that in Plateau State, 54 people were massacred in Zikke Village of Bassa LGA, and another 52 killed in six other villages in Bokkos LGA of the state in the same week they reviewed.
The Benue and Plateau killings occurred while Tinubu was still in London. Upon his return, the Boko Haram insurgents on Monday, April 28, 2025, welcomed him with fresh mass killings in Borno State in the North east region. Credible accounts had it that a village in the Chibok LGA of the state was invaded by the terrorists who Killed 11 mourners who gathered to pay last respect to their dead one. Earlier on Sunday proceeding that fateful Monday, Boko Haram insurgents had killed 11 hunters who engaged them in exchange of gun fire. Two soldiers were also waylaid and killed by Boko Haram the same Monday.
The Christian Rights Agenda (CRA), a faith-based advocacy group hinted that aside the killings which rages unchallenged, over 80 communities in both Benue and Plateau have been under the control of terrorists at present. Rev. Kallamu Dikwa, Security General of CRA, stated this in a statement issued in Abuja last week.
Bemoaning the spate of wanton killings in the country, the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) disclosed that it had committed well over N300 million in ransom payment to regain freedom for its kidnapped members in Kaduna and Plateau States. According to the General Secretary of ECWA, Rev. Ayuba Asheshe during a media briefing last month in Jos the Plateau State Capital, “The church has already spent over N300 million in ransom payments, yet over 50 individuals remain in captivity, placing an unbearable financial strain on the church and affected families, many of whom have lost their livelihoods”.
Senator Ali Ndume remains among the most exasperated first-class citizens in the wake of the wanton destruction of lives and properties of Nigerian citizens across divide. The extremely irritable lawmaker told the media in Abuja on Sunday, April 13, 2025 during President Tinubu absence that a sustained Boko Haram attacks on his home state of Borno had resulted in the killing of over 300 citizens of the state in the past six months, including soldiers on guard.
Within the period, Ndume said there were a total of 252 attacks which forced the state governor, Babagana Zulum to lead a delegation of eminent Citizens of the state to the military high command in search of solution. Ndume said he was part of the delegation.
“We are worried because just from November last year to date, we experienced 252 attacks in Borno State. In the six months period, over 100 soldiers were killed. Over 200 civilians were also killed “.
Frustrated by the unending wastage of human lives by criminal elements under the Tinubu government, a former Minister of Defence, Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma, opted for a desperate move to rein in insecurity since it appeared the security agencies have been overwhelmed.
Voicing his fury and frustration over how brutish citizens’ lives have descended in recent times, Danjuma had at a public event in Takum, Taraba State, asked citizens all over the country to device ways to defend themselves against herdsmen, terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, instead of waiting for the security agencies who have always disappointed them. It is on record that since the APC government of former President Mohammadu Buhari when the wanton killings of innocent citizens started to escalate uncontrollably, Danjuma had remained an advocate for self-defence.
Thus, while speaking to an audience at the event in his home state, Danjuma once again reiterated his earlier call for self-defence insisting that the renewed insurgency and escalated killings have validated his concerns.
Danjuma: “The warning I gave some years ago is still as valid today as it was then. Nigerians must rise and defend themselves.
“We cannot continue to sit and watch while bandits, terrorists, criminal gangs massacre our people unchecked.
“It is now clear that the government alone cannot protect us. We must stand up and defend ourselves, our families and our lands before these criminals overrun the entire country”.
To indicate how frustrating and unbearable life has degenerated in the recent times, even the United States of America (USA), has been asked to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and place her on the US watchlist in order to compel Tinubu to take drastic action against indiscriminate killings by terrorists.
The request was made by a delegation of American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), as well as the Rising Sun and Ambassadors for Self-defence during their visit last month to the Capitol Hill in Washington DC where they met with some US Congress members to lobby for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
During his first reign as the President of the US, the current American President, Donald Trump, had added Nigeria in the list of its CPC nations. Former President Joe Biden was to delete Nigeria from the list. But while speaking to the media during the AVID visit, leader of the delegation, Dr. Sylvester Onyia said the rising human rights violations, calculated ethnic cleansing and religious atrocities perpetuated by terrorists, bandits and herdsmen for the purpose of dispossessing indigenous people of their ancestral lands, necessitated the call.
As Tinubu returned to the country after the Easter celebration, the wanton killings have persisted as with when he was away on holiday. Instead of focusing on fighting insecurity, his return only ignited an intensity in the campaign for his second term ambition which caused a defection of notable politicians from the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The celebration of the defections has aroused wild celebrations by the APC that the tackling of insecurity was relegated to the second-placed priority for the government.
Such is the reminder of former President Goodluck Jonathan dancing at a PDP gathering for his second term ambition in 2014 while Boko Haram unleashed bombing of strategic locations in the country. Jonathan’s second term pursuit met its Waterloo in 2015 when Nigerians paid him back in his own coin during that year’s presidential election in which they voted his opponent, Buhari. Will history repeat itself with Tinubu? Time will tell.
