Odesola JF., PhD
A Nation Must Not Become Numb to Death
There is a question that has been sitting heavily on my heart:
When will this killing stop in Nigeria?
Not tomorrow.
Not after another committee is set up.
Not after another statement is released.
Not after another government delegation visits a grieving community.
When will Nigerians actually stop being killed?
At what point will the death of innocent citizens become unacceptable enough for us to say, collectively, “Enough!”
I ask this question with a heavy heart because behind every number in a security report is a human being.
When we hear that “six people were killed,” we must remember that six people had names.
They had families.
They had friends.
They had dreams.
Somebody loved each of them.
Somebody expected them to come home that night.
Somebody may still be waiting for a phone call that will never come.
This is what statistics sometimes hide from us—the human tragedy behind the numbers.
ANOTHER NIGHT OF BLOODSHED
Recent reports from Plateau State are deeply disturbing.
According to reports, at least eight people were killed in separate attacks on communities in the state, amid renewed violence affecting predominantly Christian settlements.
In Dungus, a predominantly Christian community in Jos South Local Government Area, six people were reportedly killed at about 9 p.m. when suspected terrorists launched a hit-and-run attack.
Around the same period, two other people were reportedly killed in Vodni, another Christian community in Mangu Local Government Area.
And this was not an isolated incident.
Mangu had already witnessed another wave of violence, with at least five people reportedly killed during the preceding week. Three of those victims were reportedly killed on Saturday, September 11.
One cannot read these reports and simply turn the page.
One cannot hear about people being killed in their communities and say, “That is Plateau State.”
No. It is Nigeria.
And every Nigerian life lost should matter to every Nigerian.
IMAGINE IF IT WERE YOUR FAMILY
Perhaps the best way to understand the pain is to stop talking about victims as numbers.
Imagine receiving a telephone call late at night.
“Your brother has been killed.”
Imagine a mother hearing those words about her son.
Imagine a wife waiting for her husband to return home, only to discover that he has become another victim of violence.
Imagine children asking, “Daddy, when are you coming home?”—and nobody has the courage to tell them that Daddy is not coming home again.
Imagine a family preparing for a funeral instead of celebrating a birthday.
Imagine a farmer who has spent his entire life cultivating a piece of land suddenly running for his life, leaving behind his house, farm, animals and possessions.
Imagine sleeping in a displaced persons’ camp, wondering whether the home you left behind is still standing.
This is the Nigeria many of our fellow citizens are experiencing.
And that should trouble our conscience.
HAVE WE BECOME TOO USED TO DEATH?
This may be one of the most frightening things about our present situation.
We are becoming accustomed to death.
A few years ago, news that several people had been killed would dominate national conversation.
Today, another killing happens, people express outrage on social media, government releases a statement, religious leaders condemn the attack—and then life moves on.
Until the next attack.
Then another.
Then another.
There is something deeply dangerous about a society becoming accustomed to human suffering.
When death becomes routine, conscience begins to sleep.
We must not allow our conscience to die.
The Nigerian people deserve better.
TO OUR LEADERS: LISTEN TO THE CRY FROM THE VILLAGES
This is not primarily a political argument.
It is a moral appeal.
It is a cry from the heart of ordinary Nigerians to those entrusted with the responsibility of leadership.
Mr President, Governors, Ministers, legislators, security chiefs, local government leaders and all those entrusted with public responsibility:
Please listen.
Listen beyond Abuja.
Listen beyond the state capitals.
Listen to the villages.
Listen to the farmers.
Listen to the widows.
Listen to the children.
Listen to the pastors and traditional rulers who are burying their people.
Listen to communities that live every day wondering whether armed men will come again.
Leadership is not simply about occupying an office.
Leadership is about protecting the people.
The Nigerian Constitution places enormous responsibility on government to protect citizens. But beyond constitutional provisions, there is an even higher moral responsibility:
Human life must be protected.
WHO IS KILLING OUR PEOPLE?
We must also ask difficult questions.
Who are these attackers?
Where do they come from?
Who finances them?
Who supplies their weapons?
Who provides them with intelligence?
How do they repeatedly move into vulnerable communities, attack people and disappear?
How do these criminals continue to operate in some areas for so long?
These questions are not being asked because Nigerians want somebody to blame.
They are being asked because Nigerians want solutions.
If intelligence exists, let it be acted upon.
If perpetrators are identified, let them be arrested.
If evidence establishes guilt, let them be prosecuted.
If networks are financing terrorism and criminality, dismantle those networks.
If weapons are being supplied illegally, trace their sources.
If there are security failures, investigate them.
A nation cannot defeat an enemy it refuses to understand.
JUSTICE MUST NOT ARRIVE ONLY AFTER FUNERALS
One of the greatest enemies of peace is impunity.
When criminals believe they can kill and escape without consequences, they become more courageous.
When communities believe that nobody will protect them, they become more vulnerable.
And when victims believe that justice will never come, frustration and anger can eventually produce further violence.
This is why justice matters.
Not revenge.
Justice.
The government must ensure that those responsible for killing innocent Nigerians are brought before the law, regardless of their ethnic, religious, political or social identity.
Nobody should be too powerful to be investigated.
Nobody should be too connected to be prosecuted.
Nobody should be protected because of political influence.
The blood of the poor must not be cheaper than the blood of the powerful.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES MUST BE PROTECTED
The reports of attacks on predominantly Christian settlements deserve serious attention.
Christians living in vulnerable communities should not have to wonder whether their faith makes them targets.
They should be able to worship God.
They should be able to farm.
They should be able to raise their children.
They should be able to sleep in their homes.
At the same time, our response must be wise and responsible.
We must never turn legitimate concern about attacks into hatred against innocent Muslims or other communities.
An innocent Muslim is not a terrorist.
An innocent Christian is not an enemy.
An ethnic group should not be collectively blamed for the actions of criminals.
Criminals must carry the responsibility for their crimes.
Nigeria cannot solve violence by creating another generation of hatred.
THE CHURCH MUST CONTINUE TO SPEAK
The Church must pray.
But the Church must also speak.
The Church must stand beside victims.
It must comfort the grieving.
It must support displaced families.
It must advocate for justice.
It must encourage peace without compromising truth.
And it must continue to remind the nation that every human being is created in the image of God.
The Bible says in Genesis 1:27 that God created man in His own image.
That means the farmer in Plateau matters.
The child in Mangu matters.
The widow in Jos South matters.
The displaced family matters.
The Christian matters.
The Muslim matters.
Every Nigerian matters.
SECURITY CANNOT BE ONLY ABOUT THE CITIES
There must also be a deliberate effort to protect rural communities.
Many vulnerable communities are far from major security formations.
Some people live in areas where emergency response may take too long.
That must change.
Nigeria needs stronger intelligence gathering, better early-warning systems, appropriate security presence in vulnerable locations, stronger cooperation between communities and security agencies, and faster response when credible threats emerge.
Technology should also be deployed intelligently.
Drones, surveillance systems, communication networks and modern intelligence tools can help security agencies detect and respond to threats more effectively.
But technology alone will not solve the problem.
We need political will.
We need professional security institutions.
We need community cooperation.
We need accountability.
And we need leaders who will not look away.
DO NOT TELL THE PEOPLE TO “MOVE ON”
There is a point where condolences are no longer enough.
Of course, condolences matter.
But a grieving family also needs justice.
A displaced community needs security.
A farmer needs access to his farm.
A child needs a school.
A widow needs support.
A community needs rebuilding.
And above all, people need confidence that they will not be attacked again.
We cannot keep asking citizens to “move on” when the conditions that caused their suffering remain unresolved.
People cannot move on from a wound that is still being reopened.
NIGERIA MUST NOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER MASSACRE
Every time there is an attack, we often hear the same language:
“We condemn the attack.”
“We sympathise with the families.”
“Security agencies have been directed to fish out the perpetrators.”
“Those responsible will face the full weight of the law.”
These statements are important.
But Nigerians are increasingly asking:
What happened after the last statement?
Were the perpetrators found?
Were they prosecuted?
Were the communities secured?
Were the intelligence failures investigated?
Were the vulnerable areas properly protected?
Did anything change?
Because if nothing changes, another statement after another attack will not reassure the people.
Action will.
TO THE SECURITY AGENCIES: NIGERIANS ARE COUNTING ON YOU
To the brave men and women serving in Nigeria’s security agencies, this is also a moment to remember why you serve.
We know that many soldiers, police officers and other security personnel have sacrificed their lives protecting the country.
They deserve our appreciation.
But the system must also give them the equipment, intelligence, training and support necessary to do their jobs effectively.
A poorly equipped security officer is himself vulnerable.
A community without security is vulnerable.
And a country without effective security is vulnerable.
We must therefore strengthen the institutions that protect Nigerians.
TO THE POLITICAL LEADERS: THIS IS BIGGER THAN ELECTIONS
Nigeria’s political leaders must understand something very important:
The security of Nigeria is bigger than the next election.
The life of a Nigerian is more important than political advantage.
The peace of a community is more important than partisan arguments.
The safety of children is more important than political propaganda.
History will not only ask what leaders promised.
History will ask what they did when their people were being killed.
Years from now, people may forget political speeches.
They may forget campaign slogans.
But families will remember who protected their communities when danger came.
They will remember who stood with them.
And they will remember who looked away.
WE MUST NOT LOSE OUR HUMANITY
Perhaps this is the greatest challenge before Nigeria.
Not simply defeating terrorists or criminals.
Not simply strengthening the military.
Not simply improving intelligence.
But preserving our humanity.
Let us refuse to celebrate the death of another human being.
Let us refuse to justify murder because the victim belongs to another community.
Let us refuse revenge.
Let us refuse collective blame.
Let us refuse silence.
And let us refuse to become numb.
Because the moment Nigerians begin to think, “It does not concern me,” we have already begun losing the country.
Today it may be Plateau.
Tomorrow it may be another state.
Violence does not respect state boundaries.
WHEN WILL THIS KILLING STOP?
So I return to the question with which I began:
When will this killing stop in Nigeria?
When will Nigerian families stop burying their loved ones because criminals decided to invade their communities?
When will farmers return to their farms without fear?
When will children sleep peacefully?
When will displaced people return home safely?
When will attackers understand that there is no hiding place from justice?
When will our leaders realise that security is not a favour they are doing for citizens?
It is their responsibility.
Nigeria is too blessed to be permanently associated with bloodshed.
Our people are too resilient to be condemned to perpetual fear.
Our children deserve better.
Our communities deserve better.
Our nation deserves better.
And our leaders must rise to the occasion.
This is not a call for war.
It is a call for responsible leadership.
It is a call for justice.
It is a call for security.
It is a call for compassion.
It is a call for action.
It is a call to the conscience of every Nigerian who has the power to make a difference.
Let us secure the vulnerable.
Let us strengthen intelligence.
Let us pursue the perpetrators.
Let us dismantle criminal networks.
Let us support victims.
Let us protect farmers.
Let us rebuild communities.
Let us reject religious and ethnic hatred.
Let us make justice work.
And let us remember that behind every statistic is somebody’s father, somebody’s mother, somebody’s child, somebody’s friend.
Eight people are not just eight casualties.
They are eight lives.
And every life matters.
So, to those entrusted with the leadership of Nigeria, the question remains:
WHEN WILL THIS KILLING STOP?
The Nigerian people do not need another promise.
They need protection.
They do not need another condolence message.
They need justice.
They do not need another expression of concern.
They need action.
And they need it now.
