Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said no nation can prosper as long as its citizens are living in perpetual fear.
Obi, on verified X handle, was reacting to reports that 55 people were abducted in Zamfara State few days after news of a purported peace deal in neighbouring Katsina State.
He said the contradiction reflects “the grim reality that Nigerians live under the constant shadow of abductions, killings and violent attacks.
“This contradiction speaks to a disturbing truth: insecurity has become a normal, everyday occurrence in Nigeria.
“We are now in a situation where abductions, killings and violent attacks occur almost daily.
“Behind every number are families torn apart, dreams cut short and future stolen.”
“A nation cannot grow or prosper when its citizens live in perpetual fear. It is now as though the lives of Nigerians do not matter.
“What is the value of the life of one Nigerian, when hundreds are kidnapped and killed daily without a national emergency on insecurity?” he queried.
Obi condemned what he described as the government’s silence and inaction in the face of unrelenting bloodshed, saying such response diminishes the dignity of every single citizen.
“The first duty of leadership is to protect life. Until we place the highest premium on the safety of every Nigerian, we cannot claim to be building a nation,” he stressed.
Calling for urgent prioritisation of security, he insisted that Nigerians must never resign to insecurity as their fate.
“Our people deserve a country, where peace is not an option but the standard. Nigerians will not accept insecurity as their destiny,” Obi maintained.