Human Life Continues to Be Worthless in Nigeria

What is really the worth of the life of a Nigerian? Killings and deaths have become part of normal life in the country.

If it is not from terrorists and bandits’ attacks, it is from trigger-happy security operatives, or from avoidable reckless driving, or preventable diseases.

One thing is common from these deaths: They are caused by lack of accountability and collapse of governance.

Two weeks ago, at least 48 people died and five others were totally blinded after consuming locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions linked to high concentrations of methanol in Ondo State.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said preliminary findings showed that 11 of the 15 samples tested positive for Cannabis indica, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.

Nigerians had hardly recovered from the sad news when another heartbreaking news broke indicating that 37 suspected illegal miners died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, following arrests made on September 15 and 16, 2026.

The NSCDC initially lied that a sudden disease outbreak caused the deaths but preliminary accounts from survivors showed that spraying of unknown substance in the cell, severe overcrowding and poor ventilation caused the deaths.

In Nigeria, lives are beginning to become valueless. Apart from the fact that a lot of people are no longer attaching any value to the lives of others, a lot of Nigerians are also not attaching much value to their own lives.

All of these are often caused by the carelessness of those in authority and sheer greed and quest to make brisk money at the expense of other people’s lives. Some deaths are caused by sheer negligence.

The lack of consequences has made the loss of lives to fester.  This is why the Attorney General of the Federation, states’ Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice must immediately step in to ensure the speedy prosecution of persons found culpable in the deaths.