Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has described the security situation in Nigeria as a national emergency.
Obi in a statement issued Sunday expressed concern over the tragic reports of yet another attack in Kogi State’s Yagba West Local Government Area, where over 27 innocent Nigerians were killed by armed bandits.
He noted: “The images are heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the entire people of Kogi State.
“This comes as reports from neighbouring Kwara state say that nine out of 16 LGs in Kwara state are under bandits’ siege, who now demand food and drinks as ransom.
“The nine LGs in the bandit control include Baruten, Edu, Ekiti, Ifelodun, Isin, Kaiama, Oke-Ero, Patigi, and Irepodun.
“The security situation is now a national emergency. It is deeply troubling that insecurity has become a normal occurrence in our nation, where our citizens die daily more than in countries at war. This is not normal.”
Obi said the citizens cannot sleep in their own homes in peace, while farmers are being driven away from their lands by bandits, and the children are living in fear of being attacked, while the nation continues to bleed.
He emphasised that leadership must be about protecting lives and property, the most basic duty of any government.