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Friday, February 6, 2026

Massacres by terrorists in Kwara, Katsina, Benue show Nigeria becoming killing field under Tinubu: Atiku

The massacre of about 200 people in Kwara has sparked reactions across Nigeria and attracted global media attention.

• February 5, 2026
Atiku Abubakar
President Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that several massacres carried out in Kwara, Benue and Katsina in recent days show Nigeria is descending into a killing field under President Bola Tinubu’s watch.

In a statement circulated on his social media pages on Thursday, the former vice president lamented the killing spree in the country.

“The reported massacres in parts of Kwara, Katsina and Benue are a damning confirmation that Nigeria has descended into a killing field,” Mr Abubakar said. “The scale and frequency of these attacks expose a catastrophic failure of the state to protect the lives of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable.”

For the former vice president, Mr Tinubu’s “empty condemnations after mass burials are no longer acceptable. Security must be proactive, deliberate and preventive, not reactive. Communities repeatedly attacked must not be left as open hunting grounds for criminals.”

He added, “I am deeply pained by these killings. I call on the Federal Government, states and communities to act decisively and in concert to end this bloodletting. The murder of even one Nigerian is an unforgivable failure.”

Mr Abubakar’s statement followed the jihadists’ massacre of about 200 people in coordinated attacks on Woro and neighbouring communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The massacre of about 200 people in Kwara has sparked reactions across Nigeria and attracted global media attention.

President Bola Tinubu has deployed security agencies to the affected communities.

Amnesty International on Wednesday condemned the killing of more than 200 people in separate incidents, which occurred on Tuesday, February 3, in Kwara and Katsina states.

“Amnesty International strongly condemns the attacks on rural communities in Kwara and Katsina state on Tuesday 3 February 2026, in which gunmen killed over 200 people. Many of those killed were shot at close range and some were burnt alive,” the organisation said in a statement on Wednesday.

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