Violence remains a talking point in Nigeria. Thus, the persistent killings in Plateau State are another grim reminder of how dangerously accustomed Nigerians have become to violence. The Northern Christian Association condemned the latest attacks, warning that the country must not reach a point where the deaths of innocent citizens are treated as routine occurrences.
At least nine people were reportedly killed in the latest attacks on September 20 across communities in the state, including a pastor said to be on his way to church.
The NCA Chairman, Joseph Hayab, expressed concern over the recurring violence and its devastating consequences for families, communities and livelihoods.
The association rightly noted that every life lost is a human tragedy that should command the attention of the government and society, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political differences.
According to the NCA, the latest attacks occurred between Saturday night and Sunday morning in parts of Barkin Ladi, Riyom and neighbouring communities.
Five people travelling towards Gana-Ropp in Barkin Ladi were reportedly killed when their vehicle came under attack. A pastor and another person were killed on their way to church at Dorowa Babuje. Separate attacks were also reportedly recorded at Baten Wereng and Ratyidi.
“Is that how lives have become so cheap that they can now be taken at will?” Hayab asked.
“Nigerians must not get used to killings. Every life matters. We cannot continue to wake up to reports of innocent people being killed and gradually accept such incidents as part of our normal existence. Every life lost is a national tragedy and deserves our collective concern,” he added.
Last month, at least 25 people were killed in an overnight attack on Bin-Per village in the same state.
A councillor representing the area, Lemun Iliya, was quoted by Reuters as saying 23 people were killed in the attack, while another victim later died in hospital.
Yet, barely weeks later, the country has moved on to the next casualty figures. That is perhaps one of the most disturbing consequences of prolonged violence.
Nigerians are gradually becoming desensitised to death. Human lives are reduced to statistics, while the grief of families disappears beneath the weight of the next breaking-news headline.
The recent deaths of detainees in Niger State also illustrate the gravity of the problem. Thirty-seven detainees reportedly died in the early hours of September 17 after being arrested during anti-illegal mining operations around the M. I. Wushishi Estate and Lukoto areas in the state. The exact cause of death remains unconfirmed pending medical examinations, autopsies and laboratory results.
In Taraba State, the death toll from attacks on the Rafin Kada–Wukari road in Wukari Local Government Area also rose to 11 following renewed roadside violence and targeted shootings of travellers.
HumAngle reported 22 deaths daily under Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2023), President Bola Tinubu’s predecessor.
At the halfway point of his tenure, Amnesty International reported 10,217 deaths under Tinubu (May 2023-May 2025).
Nigeria’s history of military dictatorship, with its often-ruthless treatment of human life, may have contributed to a culture in which citizens have become conditioned to state and communal violence.
But democracy must mean more than changing those in government. It must also reflect in the value placed on human life, civil engagement and accountability.
Leadership matters in this regard. The President, governors and heads of government agencies must demonstrate genuine empathy whenever citizens are killed. Soulless statements of condemnation, followed by silence, cannot become the standard response to tragedy.
Nigerians, too, must interrogate the values that allow violence to be excused or dismissed because of politics, ethnicity or religion.
Social media has further deepened this problem, with people sometimes questioning or dismissing reports of deaths simply because the victims belong to an opposing political camp.
A life should not become more valuable because the victim is the child, sibling or associate of a politician. Security agencies must equally remember that the authority to bear arms carries a profound responsibility to protect life.
The sanctity of human life must remain at the centre of that responsibility.
Nigeria cannot afford to become a country where death is ordinary, and compassion is selective. Every life matters. And no society should become so familiar with violence that the killing of its citizens no longer shocks its conscience.
The Punch
