Chinedum Treasure
The Labour Party (LP) Senatorial Candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial District, Ven. Tochukwu Ikezue, has described killing of 24 farmers by armed bandits in Zamfara State as a national tragedy, calling on Federal Government to take urgent and decisive action to tackle the country’s worsening insecurity.
Speaking to journalists at his campaign office in Awka, Ikezue expressed deep sorrow over the killings, while several others were injured or abducted.
He extended his condolences to the bereaved families, saying the victims were ordinary Nigerians who went to their farms in search of daily livelihood but never returned.
“No Nigerian deserves to die simply for trying to feed their family,” he said, praying for God to grant eternal rest to the deceased and comfort to their loved ones,” he noted.
Acknowledging reports that most of the victims were Christians, the cleric qmaintained that the killings transcend religious identity, stressing that every Nigerian life is equally sacred, regardless of faith, ethnicity, or tribe.
“Banditry and terrorism have remained enemies of all Nigerians and must be confronted with a united national response,” he added.
The senatorial hopeful criticised what he described as the country’s failing security architecture, warning that persistent attacks on farming communities threaten both lives and the nation’s food security.
“When farmers cannot go to their farms, the nation cannot eat. When citizens are killed in large numbers and the perpetrators remain unpunished, the social contract between government and the people is broken,” he stated.
Ikezue urged President Bola Tinubu to order immediate full-scale military operation to rescue those abducted and bring those responsible for the killings to justice.
“We call on National Assembly to summon the Service Chiefs for a public hearing on the security situation in the North-West, while advocating adequate compensation and trauma support for the affected families and communities.
“We urge Federal Government to strengthen and properly regulate community-based intelligence gathering and vigilante structures to improve the protection of rural farming communities,” he noted.
LP flag bearer further called on churches across Anambra Central to observe three days of prayer and mourning in solidarity with the victims in Zamfara and others who have lost their lives to violence across the country.
He however, maintained that prayer should be accompanied by sustained demands for accountability, insisting that every Nigerian life matters.
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