President Bola Tinubu has charged security agencies to end resurgent wanton killings in Borno, Benue, and Plateau states, adding that widespread killings under his watch are enough.

Mr Tinubu, who met with security chiefs at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, said in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, that he “demanded urgent action to end the escalating violence in Borno, Benue, Plateau, and Kwara states.”

“The killing of innocent people in Borno, Benue and Plateau States must cease,” Mr Tinubu said, declaring, “Enough is enough,” on widespread killings across the country under his watch.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who was at the meeting, was quoted as saying, “Today, we had the opportunity to come and brief him again, and it lasted hours. It was a very detailed briefing, and it was exhaustive.

“The fact is that Mr President is insisting that we work harder to restore security in the country,” Mr Ribadu said. “We had carried out his instructions. We went to places with incidences of insecurity, such as Plateau, Benue, and Borno States.

“We went to those particular three states. We gave him feedback because he had directed us earlier to go and meet with the political authorities there,” he added.

In the past few weeks, over 100 people were killed by gunmen in Plateau State, while Boko Haram has resumed attacks on communities in Borno State. In Benue, over 50 people were killed in coordinated attacks by gunmen.

Nigerians criticised Mr Tinubu for remaining and governing the country remotely amid widespread killings and kidnapping across the nation. 

Leaders of opposition groups, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, both criticised Mr Tinubu for staying back in Europe while the country was “on fire.”

Citing former American President Barack Obama, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, and former President Goodluck Jonathan among leaders who abruptly ended their state visits to attend to serious national issues, Mr Abubakar said, “Nigerians are dying. The president is nowhere to be found.”

On Saturday, Matthew Kukah, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, in his Easter homily, lamented widespread killings across the country, saying Nigeria is becoming a national morgue under President Bola Tinubu’s watch.

“Every day, innocent citizens are kidnapped and held under the most inhuman conditions,” Mr Kukah said. “Mr President, Nigeria is reaching a breaking point. The nation is gradually becoming a huge national morgue. With a greater sense of urgency, hasten to bring us down from this cross of evil.”