Peter Obi has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s penchant for giving excuses instead of providing justice to many Nigerians subjected to wanton violence at the hands of non-state actors, citing the recent violent attacks in Benue, Kogi and Taraba as leadership failure.

Mr Obi, who has been Mr Tinubu’s nemesis since the run-up to the 2023 presidential election, has continued to assail the abysmally poor economic and political records of the president amid galloping inflation and the deterioration of security across the country.

“Nigeria cannot continue like this. This is not the Nigeria we deserve. We must end this bloodshed. We must reclaim our humanity,” said the former presidential candidate.

Mr Obi considered Mr Tinubu’s response to the perennial violence as “weak and muted”.

“The news of the continued senseless killings that have gripped parts of Taraba, Benue, and Kogi states in recent times is heartbreaking. What we are witnessing is not merely violence. It is a failure of leadership and a gaping wound in the soul of our nation,” said the former Anambra governor in a statement on Wednesday.

“In recent months, a wave of violence has devastated communities across Taraba, Benue, and Kogi, claiming countless lives and wiping out families,” he added. “The bloodshed is staggering, yet the response remains weak and muted. As homes are destroyed and communities torn apart, we risk normalising the unacceptable: mass killings, displacement, and the collapse of law and order.”

Mr Obi insisted that Mr Tinubu must be held responsible for the violent atrocities non-state actors unleash on innocent citizens across the country.

“I have always maintained that the primary duty of the National government is the protection of life and property,” Mr Obi noted. “When this duty is repeatedly ignored when innocent citizens are butchered and nothing changes, we must ask ourselves: What kind of nation are we building? What future are we promising our children?”

The Labour Party politician pointed out that Nigeria “cannot continue like this”.

“This is not the Nigeria we deserve. We must end this bloodshed. We must reclaim our humanity,” Mr Obi said.

Meanwhile, Mr Obi has commiserated with residents of Benue, Kogi, and Taraba.

“I share their grief, and I feel their pain. But I also raise my voice because silence in the face of such horror is complicity. We need urgent action, not rhetoric.

“We need justice, not excuses. We as leaders must value human life and will defend it with everything we have,” stated Mr Obi.