Peter Obi laments rising bloodshed, faults leadership’s lack of empathy

Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has expressed deep concern over the escalating violence and killings across Nigeria, describing the situation as a national tragedy where the value of human life appears to be diminishing. He specifically criticized what he perceives as a lack of empathy from the nation’s leaders towards grieving citizens.

In a statement released on Saturday via X, Obi lamented, “The regularity of bloodletting of innocent souls in our country has reduced the news value of human deaths.” He underscored the widespread nature of the crisis by citing multiple incidents that occurred within a single 24-hour period. These included a bomb explosion in Kano that reportedly killed at least five people, the fatal attack on 12 wedding guests in Plateau State which left 11 others injured, and the confirmed deaths of 30 individuals following a bandit assault in Kebbi.

Further highlighting the pervasive insecurity, Obi noted, “In Borno, a female suicide bomber killed 24 citizens. In Katsina, bandits gunned down a police inspector,” adding, “All of this just in a day, for a country that is not even at war.” He voiced alarm that even areas once considered secure are now affected, urging authorities to treat insecurity as a paramount national priority.

Obi emphasized that criticism regarding security failures should be viewed as a constructive tool for guiding authorities. “We must begin to treat insecurity as an utmost national priority and to see the criticism on it as a genuine and constructive voice to help direct authorities to their failings,” he stated. He pointedly condemned the perceived detachment of leadership, asserting, “The grieving Nigerians are not shown any empathy by leaders,” and called on the government to take responsibility for protecting lives.

The former presidential candidate also warned that persistent insecurity, alongside unaddressed corruption, continues to damage Nigeria’s global standing. “The world is watching. People see these killings and corruption all over the system. Allowing these insecurities and corruption to continue is the real demarketing of the country,” he cautioned. Obi concluded his statement by urging all stakeholders to take immediate and decisive action, stressing, “We must tackle this insecurity now. It is destroying lives and demarketing our nation. All hands must be on deck. We must act now to save our country. Nigerians deserve to live.”