A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the auspices of the Civil Society Joint Action Group has stated that at least 2,423 people have been killed, while 1,872 were abducted within eight months of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani revealed this while addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja on behalf of the coalition, urging the President to declare a state of emergency on the current security situation in the country.
He added that there should be a timeline that the president would give to the security agencies to tackle insecurity, necessitating their call for a declaration of a state of emergency on kidnapping and other forms of terrorism.
He said, “Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria under the auspices of the Civil Society Joint Action Group, Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities, and Nigeria Mourns, are deeply concerned by the deteriorating state of security across Nigeria and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and therefore call on the Nigerian government to take actionable steps to end the endemic insecurity, mitigate further attacks by kidnap syndicates and terrorist groups, and, account for persons missing in these attacks.
“Mass atrocities fatality tracking across the country by Nigeria Mourns reveals that in President Buhari’s second term alone (2019 to 2023), after Buhari as a former military general, gained public trust to run as president by promising to curb the then fledgling insecurity, at least 24,816 Nigerians lost their lives, and at least 15,597 persons were abducted.
“This alarming trend has continued despite President Tinubu’s assurance at the beginning of his presidency in May 2023 to tackle insecurity. It has now been eight months since President Tinubu took his oath of office and yet, things have failed to improve. Our tracking shows at least 2,423 people have been killed in mass atrocities-related incidents and at least 1,872 persons were abducted since the beginning of President Tinubu’s administration till January 26, 2024.
“We are particularly concerned about the upsurge in abductions, noting that at least 230 incidents, in most of which multiple victims were involved, occurred within the first two weeks of January 2024 alone.”
Rafsanjani said over the past decade and a half, insecurity in Nigeria has spiralled due to a variety of violent phenomena, including but not limited to terrorist activities in the entire northern region, terror pillages otherwise known as banditry in the north-west, farmer-herder violence in the Middle Belt, including the Benue Valley, secessionist struggles in the south-east, piracy in the country's southern coast, inter-communal attacks, political violence, cult-gang
He stated that these forms of insecurity had jeopardised Nigerians' security and well-being and had worsened over time.
The coalition also called on President Tinubu to take urgent measures to address Nigeria's insecurity, including a state of emergency on kidnapping and terrorism. They also urge the government to fulfill its constitutional obligation to ensure the security and welfare of all citizens, as mandated in the Constitution.
They also challenged state governors in the North Central states, including Kaduna “to consider creating a unifying security structure within the confines of the law, just like their counterparts in the Southwest who established Amotekun to fight crimes and criminality in their region.”
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated by Boko Haram militants on the Pulka-Firgi Road in Gwoza local government area of Borno State murdered seven farmers in a commercial vehicle, prompting the outcry.