‘Killings now daily reality’ — Atiku criticises FG over Katsina mosque attack

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says the rising wave of killings in the country has reached “an epidemic level” that threatens Nigeria’s collective humanity.

On Tuesday, gunmen killed 13 worshippers during morning prayers in the Unguwan Mantau community, Malumfashi LGA, of Katsina state.

Nasir Mu’azu, commissioner for internal security and home affairs in Katsina, said the incident was a reprisal attack after villagers ambushed and lynched suspected bandits two days earlier.

Mu’azu added that the residents seized three motorcycles and two AK-47 rifles and rescued kidnapped victims from Ruwan Sanyi village during the incident.

Reacting in a post shared on his X account on Wednesday, Abubakar said the killings are no longer isolated cases but have become a grim reality across northern Nigeria and other parts of the country.

The former vice-president said the government’s posture shows denial of the worsening security situation.

He added that the time has come for the government to prioritise its core duty of safeguarding lives and property.

“The wanton killings of innocent Nigerians have reached the epidemic level. Only on Tuesday, in Katsina, at least 27 innocent worshippers were massacred inside a mosque by marauding bandits during morning prayers,” the post reads.

“This attack was not just against a community; it was an assault on our collective humanity.

“These killings are no longer isolated incidents; they have become a daily reality in the North and across the nation.

“Villages are being sacked, highways are unsafe, and even sacred places of worship are not spared.

“Yet, the current government continues to operate as if nothing is wrong, remaining detached from the anguish of ordinary Nigerians.

“The government is aloof and in denial of the worsening security situation. It is about high time that the protection of the lives and properties of the average citizen became a primary responsibility of government.”