Killings: Nigerians need action, not condolences, opposition reps tell Tinubu

A group of opposition lawmakers in Nigeria's House of Representatives has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take strong action against the surge in terrorism and violence in Northern Nigeria, rather than simply offering condolences. In a statement, the Minority Caucus highlighted a series of recent attacks and kidnappings across several states, including Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Katsina, where dozens of residents have been killed or abducted.

The lawmakers stressed that the bloodshed and kidnappings have reached intolerable levels and called for a sustained and coordinated security operation to reclaim territories controlled by terrorists and criminal gangs. They urged Tinubu to deploy an intelligence-led response, similar to the successful rescue mission of kidnapped schoolchildren in Oyo State, and to place affected areas under intensive security operations to neutralize the criminal elements.

The caucus also urged the President to visit insurgency-hit areas directly and proposed drawing $5 billion from the nation's external reserves to fund the security campaign, if necessary. They criticized the detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as a potential political persecution and demanded his immediate release, arguing that the government's credibility in fighting corruption is compromised by the involvement of corrupt individuals within the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

The lawmakers emphasized that Nigerians need action, not just condolences, and demanded that Tinubu use his constitutional authority and security resources to protect citizens and defeat terrorists and bandits.