By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar has lamented the bloodshed in Benue State, saying it has reached a devastating crescendo — a brutal and heart-wrenching reality that can no longer be ignored.
Atiku, who voiced out his sadness over the ugly development on his X handle on Monday, recalled that for years, families have buried their loved ones in silence, villages have been ravaged, and communities shattered, while those in power watch from a distance, offering nothing but hollow assurances.
Furious Atiku asked: “How much more must the people of Benue endure before their humanity is acknowledged? Their demand is simple: to live in peace, to sleep without fear, to farm without being slaughtered, and to raise their children without the constant shadow of violence.”
Reminding that protest is a fundamental rights of citizens and should not attract brutal force, the former Vice President said:
“When citizens take to the streets to protest this injustice, they are not inciting rebellion, they are crying for help. They are demanding what every Nigerian is constitutionally entitled to: the right to life and the protection of that life by the state. But what do they receive in return? Tear gas. Brutality. Disdain. It is pouring hot oil on an open wound.”
“To unleash force on grieving, defenseless citizens is not governance, it is cruelty. It is a betrayal of the sacred duty of leadership. What kind of government meets a cry for safety with the barrel of a gun and a canister of gas? Atiku asked.
He further stated that, the silence, the indifference, the lack of urgency, it is all damning. It speaks to a deeper rot in the conscience of leadership, a frightening normalisation of violence against the very people they swore to protect.
Charging governments at all levels and religious leaders to leave up to their responsibilities, Atiku submitted that:
“This is a call to conscience to every leader at both the federal and state levels: stop turning a blind eye while Benue drowns in blood. Stop offering condolences and start offering solutions. Work with security agencies, deploy resources, and craft a security architecture that prioritizes human lives over political optics.”
Highlighting that the insecurity has become alarming he said:
“Benue is not alone. From Plateau to Zamfara, Kaduna to Taraba; the cries are the same. Nigerians are bleeding and begging to be heard.”
Atiku therefore urged the people not to be silenced, but to raise their voices , demand accountability; demand justice; dmand a government that sees you, hears you, and protects you.
“History will not be kind to those who chose power over people. The time to act is now, Atiku added.
