Easter Massacre: Tinubu’s Failure Encouraging Killings, Says Obi

Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the spate of killings across Nigeria during the Easter period, accusing President Bola Tinubu of failing in his primary responsibility to protect lives and property.

Obi referenced the President’s recent assurance to citizens in Plateau State, when he declares, “This Experience Will Not Repeat Itself”, noting in a statement he shared on X on Monday, “Another Presidential Promise fails in less than 24 Hours.”

Obi recalled that less than 24 hours after President Tinubu stood at the Jos Plateau State airport on April 2, and promised grieving Nigerians, “I promise you that this experience will not repeat itself,” another brutal attack occurred in Nyamgo Gyel, Jos South Local Government Area, resulting in the deaths of several innocent citizens.

He lamented that the situation has since deteriorated, with multiple states experiencing deadly attacks within days of the President’s assurance.

According to Obi, Nasarawa State has been plunged into grief, as residents of Akyawa and Udege Kasa communities fled for their lives after gunmen killed at least 11 people, razed homes, and left many families missing.

He further highlighted a mass abduction in Zamfara State, where about 150 people were reportedly kidnapped from Kurfa Danya and Kurfan Magaji communities in one of the largest such incidents in recent times.

On the same day, Obi noted, terrorists stormed Chibok in Borno State, killing four officers and burning down homes.

The violence escalated on Easter Sunday in Benue State, where over 17 people were massacred, communities destroyed, and many individuals left unaccounted for.

He added that fresh attacks were recorded in Kaduna State, where several worshippers were reportedly killed inside churches, while many others were abducted in the Ariko community of Kachia Local Government Area.

Expressing frustration over the continued bloodshed, Obi said, “Yet we were told, ‘This experience will not repeat itself.’ This represents a failure of leadership and responsibility, and sadly, Nigerians are paying for it with their lives.”

He argued that, “These attackers are not ghostly figures; our inaction emboldens them. How can a President make such a categorical promise and, mere hours later, the nation continues to count the dead across multiple states?”

Obi stressed that, “The primary responsibility of any government is to protect lives and property; however, this responsibility is failing today. Nigerians are being slaughtered in their homes, in their communities, and in the very places they should feel safest. Even the President did not enter these communities, so who is truly safe in Nigeria?”

Describing the situation as dire, Obi warned, “This is a national emergency. Nigeria is bleeding, and the situation is worsening and increasingly helpless.”