At least 237 persons were killed in different attacks across the country in President Bola Tinubu’s first month in office.

A summation of reported cases of killings by Boko Haram, bandits and gunmen across the country in the past 30 days since Mr Tinubu assumed office as president by Peoples Gazette confirms this. 

It further shows that at least eight people were killed daily on average under the watch of Mr Tinubu, Nigeria’s new commander-in-chief, who swore to an oath to protect the lives and properties of citizens.

Mr Tinubu’s first week in office was marred by a killing spree that left at least 80 dead across Benue, Zamfara, Sokoto, The Gazette reported. 

Days later, Amnesty International lamented killings across the country, estimating the number of citizens killed across the country to be about 120.

However, Mr Tinubu’s party, the All Progressives Congress, dismissed Amnesty International’s outcry as “hypocritical,” asking the human rights institution to cut the new government slack.

With Boko Haram, bandits and gunmen intensifying their nefarious activities across the country, reported cases of killings increased by 117 as of June 29, bringing the number of deaths to 237.

In separate attacks across communities, 45 people were killed in Niger and Plateau on June 10 and 13, while another 33 were killed in separate attacks in Borno and Plateau between June 16, 17 and 18. In Kaduna on June 18, five persons, including a local chief, were killed. 

On June 21 and 22, 20 persons were killed in Plateau communities. On June 23, Boko Haram terrorists killed eight farmers in Borno, while three miners were killed in Plateau State. On the same day, three farmers were killed in Kaduna.

Within the period under review, the Nigerian military said it foiled some attacks and freed some kidnapped citizens, killing Boko Haram insurgents and bandits in Borno, Kaduna, and Zamfara.

Silence of the graveyard

In his inaugural speech on May 29, Mr Tinubu promised to tackle the deterioration of insecurity, reforming Nigeria’s “security doctrine and its architecture.” 

He has sacked the service chiefs and appointed new ones. However, Mr Tinubu has maintained radio silence over several killings under his watch since he assumed office. 

Though Mr Tinubu was quick to mourn the dead in India’s catastrophic train crash barely 24 hours after the incident, he has not even a word for his unfortunate compatriots slaughtered by Boko Haram and bandits.

His media aide Dele Alake did not respond to requests for comments from The Gazette per Mr Tinubu’s failure to publicly commiserate with beleaguered Nigerians despite sending condolences to India.

Ignoring killings under Mr Tinubu’s government, Mr Alake had claimed Nigerians were enjoying a “new lease of life” when asked to assess the performance of the new Nigerian leader in his first two weeks in office in an interview on NTA (a state-owned TV station).

“It’s been exhilarating. It’s been very exciting. It’s been refreshingly different for Nigerians. In fact, President Tinubu has broken all myths in this country,” Mr Alake had said. “We concluded that the title of his action plan, ‘Renewed Hope’, has actually come to reality because Nigerians have been given a new lease of life.”

‘Pure genocide’

Nigerians have continued to decry ongoing deadly violence, with Governor Caleb Mutfwang describing killings in Plateau as “pure genocide.” 

Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s acting director in Nigeria, lamented the spate of killings, berating the government for failing to deliver on its core duty of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians.

“It is horrific that attacks by gunmen have claimed at least 123 lives mere weeks after President Bola Tinubu assumed office on 29 May. Protecting lives should be the utmost priority of the new government. The Nigerian authorities must urgently take steps to stop the bloodletting. The brazen failure of the authorities to protect the people of Nigeria is gradually becoming the ‘norm’ in the country,” Mr Sanusi. 

He added, “The government said it will enact security measures in response to these attacks, but these promises have not translated into meaningful action that protects the lives of vulnerable communities. The Nigerian authorities have also consistently failed to carry out independent, effective, impartial and thorough investigations into these killings — and this is fuelling impunity.”