Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his decision to visit Benue State following the horrific massacre that claimed over 200 lives last weekend. The President’s visit, scheduled for Wednesday, comes amid growing national concern over the security situation in the region.
During the commissioning of The Greater Abuja Water Supply Network on Monday, President Tinubu extended his sympathies to the people and government of Benue State. His spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that the President had postponed an official trip to Kaduna State to prioritize assessing the crisis in Benue firsthand.
Obi, who had previously criticized Tinubu’s leadership approach, welcomed the news, describing it as “refreshing” for Nigerians to see the President finally decide to visit the “scene of the brutal killings in Benue State.” He also urged the President to extend similar attention to Niger State, where recent floods have resulted in significant loss of life.
“It was refreshing news on Monday to a bewildered nation learning that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally decided to visit the scene of the brutal killings in Benue State. For this I thank him even as I make further request that similar gesture should be extended to Niger state that lost more number of human lives in a natural disaster, flood recently,” Obi stated.
Highlighting the human toll, Obi emphasized that the deaths in both Benue and Niger States—each exceeding 200—are not mere statistics but represent devastated families and communities. In Mokwa, Niger State alone, over 200 people have been confirmed dead, with more than 1,000 still missing following the floods.
The Labour Party leader stressed that the President’s presence in these “devastated and grieving communities” would provide much-needed reassurance and upliftment. He further urged President Tinubu to use his visit to Mokwa to send a clear message that “all Nigerian lives matter” and that no community, regardless of its location, should be forgotten.
In closing, Obi called on the federal government to intensify security measures nationwide, particularly in disaster-prone areas, to prevent future tragedies.