A coalition of civil society organisations in Nigeria under the auspices of the Civil Society Joint Action Group has said at least 2,423 people were killed, while 1,872 were abducted within eight months of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja on behalf of the coalition, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on kidnapping and other forms of terrorism.
It said there should be a timeline that the president would give to the security agencies to tackle insecurity.
It noted that these forms of insecurity have jeopardised the security and wellbeing of Nigerians and have progressively deteriorated over the years.
The coalition stated, “Mass atrocities fatality tracking across the country by Nigeria Mourns reveals that in President Buhari’s second term alone (2019 to 2023), at least 24,816 Nigerians lost their lives, and at least 15,597 persons were abducted.
“This alarming trend has continued in spite of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assurance at the beginning of his presidency in May 2023 to tackle insecurity.
“It has now been 8 months since President Tinubu took his oath of office and yet, things have failed to improve. Our tracking shows at least 2,423 people have been killed in mass atrocities-related incidents and at least 1,872 persons were abducted since the beginning of President Tinubu’s administration till January 26, 2024.
“We are particularly concerned about the upsurge in abductions, noting that at least 230 incidents, in most of which multiple victims were involved, occurred within the first 2 weeks of January 2024 alone.”