Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the killing of no fewer than 30 residents in Kauru LGA of Kaduna state, demanding a proactive approaches to prevent future attacks on vulnerable communities.
Gunmen invaded the area at about 1am on Monday, shooting indiscriminately on residents.
Amnesty International stated that the gunmen went after villagers who fled into the bush and killed dozens of them, adding that many residents were still missing with more bodies being recovered from homes and nearby farms.
The organisation labelled the attack as one of the deadliest recorded in villages in southern Kaduna and blamed the government for failing to protect communities and bring perpetrators to justice.
Reacting to the incident in a statement, Phrank Shaibu, senior special assistant on public communication to Atiku described the latest killings as “heartbreaking and unacceptable”.
He noted that the attack was another pointer of the Tinubu administration’s inability to fulfil its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.
“The reported killing of scores of innocent Nigerians in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” the statement reads.
“Every life lost is a painful indictment of a government that has repeatedly promised security but continues to preside over an expanding landscape of bloodshed.
“No nation can claim progress when its citizens are hunted down in their homes and communities by criminals who operate with such frightening impunity.”
The former vice-president stated that Nigerians require effective security rather than what he described as external praise.
“The people of Southern Kaduna—and indeed all Nigerians—do not need letters of praise from foreign capitals,” he said.
“They need security. They need to sleep without fear, travel without anxiety, cultivate their farms in peace and raise their children without the constant threat of terrorists, bandits and other violent criminals.”
He urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those behind the attack while strengthening security around vulnerable communities as the country approaches another election cycle.
“History will not remember how many letters of commendation a government claimed to have received.
“It will remember whether it protected its people when they needed protection the most. Today, the blood of innocent Nigerians speaks far louder than any unverified claim of international praise.”
