The African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition has excoriated President Bola Tinubu for junketing across the world, chasing photo-ops, while scores of Nigerians are slaughtered by bandits and gunmen.

The ADC, in a statement by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Sunday, lamented the series of killings in the country in recent times.

“The carnage in Katsina comes on the heels of the recent killings in Zamfara, where 47 people were slaughtered, including 38 hostages murdered even after ransom was paid. And only this month, no fewer than 45 more Nigerians have been killed in Zamfara, with entire villages ransacked, and dozens abducted. Taken together, over 140 Nigerians have been murdered in just two months in Katsina and Zamfara alone,” the statement said.

Berating Mr Tinubu, the ADC said, “It is disheartening to note that instead of confronting these urgent national tragedies with the seriousness that they demand, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to jet-set across the world, chasing photo-ops, while his people are dying in dozens at home.”

It added, “We wish to remind Mr. President that diplomacy abroad is meaningless if safety and security at home cannot be guaranteed.”

The opposition party criticised the Tinubu-led government for failing to speak on the recent killings in Katsina, charging the government to embark on a total re-evaluation of Nigeria’s national security architecture, which has already proven incapable of protecting lives and property.

Amnesty International, on Friday, said the “stunning failure” of Mr Tinubu’s government emboldens bandits’ reckless killings, describing the week as a “bloody” one.

“The end of yet another bloody week,” Amnesty International said in a statement, highlighting killings in Katsina and Plateau States.

It added, “Incessant killings and the stunning failure of the authorities to end them and bring suspected perpetrators to justice have been and continue to be a threat to the right to life in Nigeria.”

The same week labelled “bloody” by Amnesty International coincided with Mr Tinubu’s travel abroad. He left Nigeria on Tuesday for Tokyo, Japan, to attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9).

Mr Tinubu departed Japan on Friday for Brazil, stopping over in Los Angeles, according to his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.