In a bid to condemn the level of impunity and frequency of violent killings across the country in recent times, Nigerians on May 28 marked the ‘National Day of Mourning. To commemorate it, protests were held in different parts of the country to condemn the anomaly. Sunday Ehigiator and Oluwabunmi Fache, who monitored the development via the hashtags
#NigeriaBleeds and #EnoughIsEnough on
Twitter, report that from the North to South, the escalating insecurity has soared to a worrisome peak
In recent times, the spate of insecurity has reached a worrisome peak. In fact, about
4,556 killings were recorded in 2020, a significant increase beyond the 2019 figure which was 3188. This year, the figures have soared in the first quarter of the year.
More worrisome is the fact that no part of the country is safe- from the North to South. While the North battles with banditry, terrorism, communal attacks, and kidnapping, other vices like cultism, herdsmen attack, pillaging of farmlands, destruction of government parastatals, piracy at sea, militancy and extrajudicial killings reign supreme in the South.
National Day of Mourning
Perplexed at the spate of insecurity and the seeming helplessness of security agencies, Nigerians have taken to mourn the dead. To do this, a National Day of Mourning was instituted. Aside the mourning, protests are held simultaneously across the country.
This year, Benue State and Southern Kaduna, are believed to have been the worst hit in the spate of insecurity in the country, hence the hashtag, #BenueUnderAttack and #SouthernKaduna was also trended on twitter.
Action Plans/Demands
Although the protests held across the nation, their demands were unified. They had five action plans, which are “demand action from state representatives; share stories of victims across all social media platforms; hold solemn assemblies in clusters of 49 wearing black; call of names of victims in front of state houses of Assembly and the National Assembly; and hold symbolic religious actions on May 28 and 30, 2021.”
Protests
This year, to commemorate the sad occasion, Nigerians played their part. In fact, it was indeed a national day of mourning as Nigerians in different parts of the country, dressed in black shirt on black jeans, and armed with different solidarity inscriptions and placards, marched in cluster of 49 persons per group, in honour and remembrance of every Nigerians who had lost their lives or properties to the worsening insecurity situation in the country.
The protest, unlike past protest, had no specific person or group name as mobiliser, but enjoyed the contributions of the majority of Nigerians on Twitter, including celebrities and popular Human Right activists.
Twitter Reactions
For those who lent their voices virtually on different social media platforms, their stance was no less important. Lending his voice, Nigerian Human Right Activist and Lawyer, Reno Omokri, with his Twitter handle, @renoomokri alleged that, “except Benue gets their own Sunday Igboho, these almost daily attacks that have characterised #BenueUnderAttack will continue to happen. If Benue people clash with cows, General @MBuhari will always side with cows. Benue needs an Igboho that will side with them.”
In another tweet, he said, “the way things stand now; soldiers can shoot and kill any man in Southeastern Nigeria, and claim he was an Unknown Gunman. There are no investigations carried out on the veracity of these claims. Living in the South-east is now more dangerous than living in Afghanistan.”
Also speaking popular instagram comedian, Debo Adebayo, a.k.a Mr. Macaroni, via his twitter handle @mrmacaroni, said, “36 residents of Shikaan Mbagena Kpav in Benue State murdered in cold blood but Lai Mohammed said Nigerians are in safe hands!h The Nigerian government isn’t tired of having the blood of innocent Nigerians on their hands. We have evil and heartless people in power!”
Also speaking in a video shared on her twitter handle @AishaYesufu, popular Human Right activist, Aisha Yesufu said, “There is massacre and genocide going on in Benue state. Lives are being wiped out. It seems as if there is a conspiracy to wipe out the natives that are living in many areas of Benue State, but we cannot afford to look away. We cannot afford to keep seeing these killings going on and we keep looking away.
“Are we waiting until it gets to our turn? Are we waiting until it gets to our village? Are we waiting until they begin to wipe away our children, siblings, relatives, and kinsmen?
“What is the federal government doing about what is going on in Benue state, what is the Commander-in-Chief doing about what is going on in Benue state? What are the people of Nigeria doing about what is going on in Benue state?
“What is it? We are tired of the killings, we are tired of the death, we are tired of the burials and the fact that human lives do not seem to mean anything in this country.
“Benue people have been crying. They are being killed in their sleep, killed awake, slaughtered, and enough is enough. Why is Benue state under attack? Who is there to take over Benue?
“A lot of people have been calling us and have been complaining that their lands are being taken away, they are driven away from their villages, they are slaughtered like animals, their properties are destroyed, and new people are coming to take over their lands.
“Is it a crime to be a Nigerian, is it a crime to be from Benue state, why is it that lives seem not to matter to the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The primary responsibility of any government is the protection of life and properties of the citizens, and any government that cannot protect the lives and properties of the citizens is not fit to be called a government.
“We are tired of constantly waking up to one bad news or the other. The lives of Benue people must be protected. No Nigerian is more Nigerian than any Nigerian,” she said.
Also speaking, a Nigerian, Vince Onyekwelu with the twitter handle @VinceLink said, “Most ethnic groups of Nigeria need new social champions; Berom need a Sunday Igbohoo. Jukun needs a Sunday Igbohoo. Idoma needs a Sunday Igbohoo. Igala needs a Sunday Igbohoo. Tiv needs a Sunday Igbohoo, same with Niger State, Southern Kaduna, and many more.”
Another twitter user with the user name, @Tonitornado_4, said, “I was at the Benue teaching hospital two days back to donate blood for a patient. I saw kids with stitches from head to toe. I cried for the little ones.”
Another twitter user with the handle @Kwaffy said, “Fulani Herdsmen Attack on the good people have brazen and unprovoked with villages and communities attacked and razed at night leading which can be described as a genocide and you can agree with me we’re certainly targeted.”
Another twitter user with the handle @jrnaib2 holds the position that “President Buhari must be impeached! Fulani herders are killing people on a daily basis in the name of famers Vs herders clash, but the authorities remain mute. Buhari’s nepotism will only set Nigeria ablaze and it will end in tears.”
@UwoyeO said, “It can get worse if proper measures are not put in place to contain it, God have mercy on us. Your children must have wronged you, please show mercy on us, we need you now more than ever.”
@WendyPrincea said, “Nigeria under Buhari is now a failed state and the worst of it, the mannequin in Aso Rock does not care. Under this government, human life is worthless. Put Benue in your prayers.
@capable05 said, “At what point are we going to rise as a nation to fight these terrorist herdsmen. It’s time for community policing, secure your communities.”
@JajaPhD said, “The pictures are so gory. It is sad that these vulnerable people were killed in their homeland by invaders. But to see how they were butchered like cattle evokes a deeper emotion. No one should die like this.
“Nigeria has a lot of injustice to atone for but on a daily basis, there is even more injustice meted out to those whose only crime is being a combination of poor, innocent and vulnerable.
“Everywhere you turn, you see bloodshed. What is the value of a Nigerian life? What is the value of a Nigerian life in Nigeria? How is it business as usual for the Nigerian government while they fail in their duty to secure lives and properties? “
@KatorTarkaa said, “There is ethnic cleansing going on in Benue State, but we are deafeningly silent. Hundreds are being killed, and thousands are compelled to flee their homes! Benue is under attack!
“As the killings keep rising and nothing substantial is being done, we all in Benue State and the entire Middle Belt may end up losing our lives, our identity and our land if we fail to rise up now! This is genocide and must be referred to as such!”
@ FS_Yusuf, said, “Ortom needs to know that terrorists have opened a war on his people and he has to prepare his people to fight and protect themselves.”
@ebelee said, “Nigeria is burning more and more everyday and our government is just going to keep acting without urgency like all is well. How many more people do these herdsmen need to kill before action is taken, hundreds of people in just one night? I’m sick.”
@SirWilliam said, “Tired of saying #BenueUnderAttack, it’s exhausting. Killings have been going on for years by one group of people and nobody has been arrested, nobody has been prosecuted.
“The solution right now is State Police and arming the citizens, nothing else. Nigeria will not save us if we keep crying about Herdsmen killings. We have active terrorists in power who share the same ideology with the Fulani militia killing people in Benue. Its state police, armed vigilantes or otherwise unknown Gunmen will retaliate.”
@Yateghtegh said, “I’m even scared of traveling within some towns in Benue for the safety of my life and others. The governor is trying but for how long shall we live in fear. Today Naka, tomorrow Agatu, next tomorrow Guma and the score continues.”
@Oyimzy said, “Don’t say it is happening in Benue and it doesn’t concern you, when they are done with Benue they will have free access to the south. Lend your voice now!”
@Uncle_ajala said, “I just saw gory pictures of about 36 persons that were killed yesterday in Benue state. I don’t think our lives and security means anything to President Buhari, because how can over 36 people die in Nigeria and the President isn’t addressing the nation?”
@lucky_owoicho said, “Benue is the food basket Nigeria and the majority affected by this herdsmen attack are the farmers. So imagine a large number of them being displaced and no means of farming. This affects everyone.”
@)07iCharles said, “He failed to become the president of Nigeria after four attempts. Now he has finally become the president with little or nothing to show for it except being shocked and sympathising over every ugly situation. We deserve someone younger come 2023! Enough is enough!!”
Protest in Lagos
In Lagos State, a coalition of 19 civil society organisations led a march to the state’s House of Assembly, Alausa – Ikeja, where they asked the Speaker of House, Rt. Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, to convene an emergency session of the Assembly on the state of insecurity in Nigeria and particularly in Lagos.
The groups also seized the moment to convey the feelings and frustrations of Nigerians on the security situation of the country to President Muhammadu Buhari being the chief security officer of the nation, with a view to coming up with a holistic solution to the problem.
Convened by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in conjunction with 18 other groups, the march culminated in the delivery of a petition which was received by representatives of the House led by Deputy Speaker, Sanni Eshinloku after an initial refusal to allow the protesters into the pavilion built for the purpose of meeting with the public.
In a statement from the Coalition, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, he said the decision of the groups to mark the day of mourning was to “draw the attention of the lawmakers to the situation and urge them to address the situation urgently”.
Also contained in the statement, the Vice President of the Joint Action Front (JAF), Achike Chude cautioned that the nation’s drift into anarchy will ultimately consume all-alike and wondered why those at the helm of affairs at state and federal levels “continue to handle the matter with levity and act in nonchalance”.
The Petition
The group also submitted a petition titled ‘Urgent Need to Address Grave Insecurity Situation as Nigerians Mourn’ to the assembly, where they noted that, Nigeria’s struggle with inordinate and escalating insecurity rooted in mass atrocities continued unabated with the figures in 2020 reaching about 4,556 killings, a significant increase beyond the 2019 figure which was 3188.
The petition read: “The pattern of mass atrocities across the country continues to bear regional nuances, but the lines are increasingly getting blurred.
“Insurgency, pillages, and communal attacks characterize the major forms of atrocities in the North, while rival gang attacks, killings from mob actions, extrajudicial killings, politically motivated killings, and mob lynching, so-called unknown gunmen attacks and herdsmen attacks have become the order of the day in the south.”
They therefore asked the lawmakers to commence citizens’ engagement including town hall meetings on specific security challenges in their respective constituencies with a view to arriving at workable and inclusive solutions.
Some of the groups that signed the petition and engaged in the march are Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-Hope), Center for Dignity, Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), Education Rights Campaign, BudgIT, Global Rights, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Spaces 4 Change, among others.
