The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has warned Nigerians against normalising abductions and ransom demands following fresh reports of attacks in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
Obi raised the concern in a statement posted on X while reacting to reports that some of the people abducted in the area had been killed, while many others remained unaccounted for.
He recalled that on August 27, he had expressed concern over the reported abduction of about 600 Nigerians, including women, children and elderly people, alongside reports of other victims being killed.
Obi also referred to a separate report that a bandit group had allegedly beheaded a Nigerian and sent the severed head to a community leader over a N50 million levy.
“If the reported killing was intended to increase pressure on the community and extract more money for those still being held, then we must recognise the terrible reality before us: human life is being deliberately turned into a bargaining instrument,” Obi said.
He said Nigerians should not continue to treat mass abductions, ransom payments, criminal levies and displacement as unavoidable features of life in the country.
“We must therefore ask ourselves a fundamental question: At what point do we, as a nation, decide that this is no longer acceptable?” he asked.
Obi called for intelligence-led operations, stronger coordination among security agencies, better equipment for security forces, effective border protection and sustained action against criminal networks.
“The primary responsibility of government is the security and welfare of its citizens,” he said.
He added that while politicians prepare for elections, Nigerians are asking for something more basic: the right to live safely.
“Our prayers must be matched with action. No criminal group should determine who lives or dies anywhere in Nigeria,” Obi said.
