Killings: “We debate power sharing while citizens share funeral programs” – Peter Obi slams FG

Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Labour Party has slammed the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress-led administration over the growing killings and kidnapping of citizens across Nigeria.

In a post made on X on Sunday, March 1, Obi said that it is disturbing that politicians have continued to obsess over the 2027 elections and scheming about grabbing power while citizens are being killed daily.

In the post titled, “Politics of Zero Humanity”, Obi said the first two months of 2026 have seen the killing of not less than 1,000 Nigerians and abduction of several thousand others.

Citing incidents in Zamfara, Kwara, Ondo, Kebbi, Edo, Benue, Adamawa, Plateau, and many other states, Obi said families have buried loved ones, and communities have been emptied by gunshots and fear.

“In over 25 states across all geopolitical zones this year alone, there have been major violent attacks on innocent citizens, kidnappings by armed bandits, mass shootings, village invasions, and brazen assaults on worshippers and travellers. The scale of bloodshed and the number of deaths in just two months in Nigeria are even worse than what we see in countries officially at war.

“Yet the urgency with which we discuss these tragedies does not match the urgency of our discussions surrounding zoning formulas, party structures, and campaign strategies.

Describing this as “the tragedy of our politics”, the former Anambra governor said, “We debate power sharing while citizens are sharing funeral programs.”

He added that he watched in tears yesterday as families in the Doruwa Babuje community in Plateau State buried their dead after attacks by armed terrorists.

Also accusing the Nigerian media of complacency, the African Democratic Congress chieftain said politicians are focused on party issues when they are not even sure they will be alive to see it.

“We strategise about 2027 while Nigerians struggle to survive 2026. This is inhumane. We must elevate human life to a sacred status in our national priorities. Leadership is not about winning elections; it is about saving lives. We can, and we must, aspire to a Nigeria devoid of bloodshed—a Nigeria where governance is measured not by political dominance but by the safety and dignity of its people.

“History will not remember how many strategies we perfected for 2027; it will remember whether we acted when Nigerians were dying. We must choose Nigerian lives over politics. We must put Nigerians first,” Obi added.