You Have Failed Nigerians - Amnesty Nigeria Condemns Tinubu Over Plateau Killings, Accuses Government of Failing in Its Duty to Protect

 

Amnesty International Nigeria has issued a damning rebuke of President Bola Tinubu's administration following a brutal assault that left dozens dead in Plateau State. The rights organization described the government's response to the unending cycle of violence as weak and ineffective, adding that the consistent bloodshed across parts of the country reflects a deepening national crisis.

The deadly attack, which took place on Monday in Bindi-Jebbu, a community in the Tahoss area of Riyom Local Government Area, claimed the lives of at least 27 people. Reports emerging from the area paint a picture of horror and calculated violence. Victims, according to witnesses and community leaders, were targeted in their homes. Entire families were reportedly locked inside their houses and murdered in cold blood. Those who attempted to flee were mercilessly shot down.

Amnesty Nigeria, reacting to the tragedy, posted a searing statement on X (formerly Twitter) expressing outrage and despair. The group wrote, “Entire families were locked up in their rooms and slaughtered one by one. Those who tried to escape were shot.” This grim account has resonated across the nation, sparking outrage among citizens who have grown weary of what they perceive as a pattern of governmental silence or insufficient response.

The human rights body didn’t stop at recounting the gruesome details. It directly criticized President Tinubu for not delivering on promises to enhance security and prevent these recurring tragedies. Despite repeated assurances from the president that security agencies have been instructed to end such violence, Amnesty insists the results tell a different, blood-soaked story.

“President Bola Tinubu claims repeatedly to have ‘tasked’ security agencies to end the killings, but the mounting death toll clearly tells a different story,” the statement read.

Communities in Plateau State, particularly in rural farming regions, have for years faced attacks from suspected armed militias. These assaults typically follow a pattern: heavily armed assailants storm villages, kill indiscriminately, and torch homes, leaving survivors to pick up the pieces with little or no support from authorities.

The Bindi-Jebbu incident is just the latest in a string of such tragedies, raising questions about the state’s capacity, or willingness, to protect its people. Amnesty International has called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack and has urged authorities to bring all perpetrators to justice. The organization insists that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done in order to restore trust and ensure accountability.

“The Nigerian authorities must impartially investigate these attacks to ensure that suspected perpetrators are held to account,” the statement emphasized. “More concrete steps must be taken to end the relentless bloodshed in Plateau State, in which typically, gunmen attack farming communities and slaughter people and raze homes.”

The group also pointed to a broader pattern of impunity that has come to define the response to violent crimes in many parts of the country. Government inaction, it warned, is not only emboldening the perpetrators but is also causing a dangerous erosion of public trust in institutions that are meant to safeguard lives and property.

“The government of Nigeria has an obligation to protect the people,” Amnesty stated. “The rising death toll in some states and increasing impunity by gunmen shows just how badly the authorities are failing in this responsibility.”

Many Nigerians have echoed Amnesty’s sentiments, lamenting the worsening security situation under Tinubu’s leadership. Across social media, anger has erupted, with citizens demanding concrete action rather than repeated promises. Calls for reform of the nation’s security architecture have intensified, as people grow increasingly disillusioned with both state and federal responses.

With national and international pressure mounting, all eyes are now on the federal government. Citizens and global observers alike are watching to see whether the latest massacre will finally provoke meaningful action, or if it will be remembered as just another chapter in the ongoing saga of violence and state failure.

Until then, communities like Bindi-Jebbu remain on edge, haunted by trauma and fearful of what tomorrow may bring.