Human rights advocate Naja’atu Muhammed has alleged that the increasing violence in Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria is not coincidental but rather the result of deliberate actions and political manipulation by those in leadership positions.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Muhammed, who once served as a director in Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council, accused Nigerian politicians of turning bandits into political instruments to sustain insecurity.
According to her, the greatest threat facing Nigerians is not tribal or religious differences, but the failure of the government to safeguard its citizens.
“The common enemy is the government who has refused to give citizens the protection that is their right,” she said.
“The common enemy is not the Fulani man or the Berom man. They are both victims. Nobody chose to be where they are. The Nigerian constitution gives everyone the right to live peacefully anywhere.”
Muhammed didn’t mince words in her criticism of the political elite, alleging that some of them not only benefit from the chaos but are also directly involved in maintaining it.
“One of the biggest bandits openly claimed that he is working with people in power. He mentioned their names, but what happened? They are still occupying high positions.”
“Just recently, during Eid, he slaughtered 15 people like rams while making a video of it,” she alleged.
The activist stressed that the issue of insecurity is not confined to Plateau State alone but has become a widespread crisis, particularly in the North.
“You see, the point I’m making is that it doesn’t make any difference to the victims. It doesn’t matter who kills who, whether it is bandits, herdsmen, or IPOB, the victim has been killed. What I’m trying to say is that the government has failed in its most primary responsibility to Nigerians,” she said.
Muhammed also blamed the political class for exploiting ethnic and religious divisions to cover up their failures in governance and distract the public.
“So when I talk of divide and rule, politicians have also used these bandits as political thugs, do you know that?, yes, there are political thugs.”
“When they fail to provide education, when they don’t pay salaries for over a year, like what happened during Jang’s tenure as governor, they instigate people to blame ‘settlers’ instead of the real culprits.”
“So what I’m trying to say is that the victims and the victimizers have a common enemy, and that enemy is the government,” she added.
