- Atiku said government has remained aloof, ignoring widespread killings that have devastated northern communities and threatened national stability.
- The former vice-president described mosque killings in Katsina as not just local violence but a direct assault on humanity.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described the rising wave of killings in the country as having reached an “epidemic level” that threatens Nigeria’s collective humanity.
At least 13 worshippers were killed by gunmen during dawn prayers on Tuesday in Unguwan Mantau, Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Katsina’s commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Nasir Mu’azu, explained that the assault was a reprisal after villagers lynched suspected bandits days earlier.
He added that residents in the area had seized motorcycles, recovered two AK-47 rifles and rescued kidnap victims during the confrontation.
Reacting on Wednesday through a post on his X handle, Atiku said the killings have moved beyond isolated cases and had become a grim daily reality in northern Nigeria and other parts of the country.
“The wanton killings of innocent Nigerians have reached the epidemic level,” he wrote.
“Only on Tuesday, in Katsina, at least 27 innocent worshippers were massacred inside a mosque by marauding bandits during morning prayers. This attack was not just against a community; it was an assault on our collective humanity.”
He added that villages were being sacked, highways had become unsafe and even sacred places of worship were no longer spared.
“The killings are no longer isolated incidents; they have become a daily reality in the North and across the nation,” Atiku said.
According to him, the federal government’s posture showed it was in denial of the worsening insecurity.
“The government is aloof and in denial of the worsening security situation. It is about hightime that the protection of the lives and properties of the average citizen became a primary responsibility of government,” he added.
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