Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a blistering condemnation of the latest wave of deadly attacks across Nigeria, declaring that the country has become a “killing field” under the watch of a government unable to protect its citizens.
Atiku’s statement, posted on X, came hours after reports of mass killings that claimed dozens possibly over 160 lives in villages in Kwara State, alongside separate assaults in Katsina and Benue.
“The reported massacres in parts of Kwara, Katsina and Benue are a damning confirmation that Nigeria has descended into a killing field,” Atiku wrote.
“The scale and frequency of these attacks expose a catastrophic failure of the state to protect the lives of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable.
“Empty condemnations after mass burials are no longer acceptable. Security must be proactive, deliberate and preventive, not reactive. Communities repeatedly attacked must not be left as open hunting grounds for criminals.
“I am deeply pained by these killings. I call on the Federal Government, states and communities to act decisively and in concert to end this bloodletting.
“The murder of even one Nigerian is an unforgivable failure. -AA”
Atiku’s words reflect growing public frustration with what many see as ritualistic official statements that follow every atrocity but produce little change. He insisted that reactive measures and post-burial condemnations have failed the nation, urging instead a fundamental shift to preventive security strategies.
The former vice president’s intervention comes amid one of the deadliest single episodes in recent months attacks on the Kwara communities of Woro and Nuku that left entire families slaughtered and homes burned. Similar violence has been reported in Katsina and Benue, adding to a grim tally of lives lost to bandits, terrorists and unidentified gunmen in recent days.
Atiku ended with a stark moral challenge to those in power saying that the killing of even a single Nigerian represents an unforgivable failure of governance.
