A wave of national and international outrage has erupted following the massacre of over 200 people in Benue State by suspected terrorists.
The killings—which claimed the lives of mothers, fathers, and children—have left an eerie silence in their wake. Unlike in other nations where such mass loss of life would spark immediate national mourning, address from top officials, and heightened security response, Nigeria’s leaders have neither visited the affected communities nor made any official statements- Nigerians argue.
A Netizen, Agwu Ndukwe, took to social media and voiced out that in a functioning country, such a catastrophic event would trigger the highest levels of outrage. Flags would be flown at half-mast. Security would be reinforced. National grief would be acknowledged. Yet, in Nigeria, such responses have been replaced by an almost normalized indifference.
Criticism has also been directed toward religious leaders who are usually vocal on politics, elections, and offerings, but who have now gone silent in the face of this atrocity.
In stark contrast, the new Pope—thousands of miles away in Rome—has acknowledged the Benue killings, offering prayers and calling for peace. The gesture has led many to question why compassion must come from abroad while local leaders remain unmoved.
READ MORE: Electoral Reform: What We Need to Reform Is Not Elections But Judges, SANs – Chidi Odinkalu
Other netizens keep challenging the government’s ongoing inability to respond to the daily realities of violence and insecurity, describing it as the erosion of the value for human life in Nigeria.
As grief and frustration grow, Nigerians are left asking: how many more must die before their leaders find their voice?
