Former Defence Minister, Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma, retd; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, President of Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, Rev Lucius Ugorji, and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, have expressed angst against the present high level insecurity in the country.

Similarly, the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, and Kebbi State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, expressed same sentiments, pleading with President Bola Tinubu to save Nigerians from frequent killings by bandits, herdsmen, and insurgents.

Their reactions came against the backdrop of militia’s attacks on communities in Plateau and Benue states, which have claimed no fewer than 200 lives in the last two weeks.

They expressed indignation that President Tinubu could afford to remain abroad when Nigerians were being slaughtered at home by militias, marrauding herdsmen and other criminals.

Defend yourselves against bandits, Danjuma tells Nigerians

In fact, Gen Danjuma reiterated his earlier call on Nigerians to rise and defend themselves, warning that relying solely on the government for protection was no longer realistic.

Speaking at a public event in Takum, Taraba State, weekend, Danjuma said his warning from five years ago remained relevant amid growing wave of insecurity across the country.

According to him, the recent spate of killings in Benue, Plateau, and other parts of Nigeria has once again validated his concerns.

“The warning I gave some years ago is still as valid today as it was then. Nigerians must rise and defend themselves.

“We cannot continue to sit and watch while bandits, terrorists, and criminal gangs massacre our people unchecked,” he said.

Danjuma, who hails from Takum, lamented what he described as the government’s inability to provide adequate security, stressing that the time had come for communities to take proactive steps in protecting their lives and properties.

“It is now very clear that the government alone cannot protect us. We must stand up and defend ourselves, our families, and our lands before these criminals overrun the entire country,” he added.

Tinubu gallivanting across Europe as Nigeria bleeds, he doesn’t care — Atiku
On his part former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, criticised President Tinubu for remaining in Europe as insecurity engulfs the country he leads.

In a statement issued yesterday, Abubakar claimed that Tinubu y does not care, citing cases of political leaders who cut short their trips to attend to urgent matters back home.

“The Tinubu administration has proven, time and again, to be utterly incapable, wholly incompetent, and completely devoid of any coherent ideas for tackling Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.

“This is not just my position — it is a growing consensus among political opposition leaders, respected security experts, and even members within the ruling party who, though too timid to speak publicly, confess this uncomfortable truth behind closed doors.

“The blood of innocent Nigerians continues to be spilled with appalling regularity — most recently in the Logo and Gbagir communities of Ukum LGA in Benue State.

“Yet, the Tinubu presidency remains disturbingly indifferent, displaying neither urgency nor the basic decency of public empathy.

“Leadership demands presence. In 2016, President Barack Obama cut short an important diplomatic visit to return home after five police officers were killed in a lone gunman attack.
In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa abandoned a state visit to Egypt to return to South Africa amid an electricity crisis.

“Even U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, heavily criticised for fleeing to Mexico during a deadly winter storm in Texas, eventually returned and acknowledged his mistake.

“In our history, President Goodluck Jonathan returned from Equatorial Guinea in 2014 following a deadly bomb blast in Abuja.

“That is the expected minimum in moments of national trauma. Yet President Tinubu, incapable of solving Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, chooses instead to gallivant across Europe, governing Nigeria in absentia as if from a holiday perch.

“If he cannot act, the least he can do is show up. If he cannot lead with empathy, he should at least attempt to perform it. Nigeria is bleeding. Nigerians are dying. The president is nowhere to be found.

“An inept administration may not suddenly discover competence. But we will not stop calling it out. If Tinubu cannot deliver safety and dignity to Nigerians, the very least he can do is pretend to care.”

Abubakar said Tinubu must prove that he cared for all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnic, political or religious affiliation.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/04/plateau-benue-killings-danjuma-atiku-kukah-bakare-others-decry-insecurity/