Violence has remained a persistent feature of Nigeria’s national conversation. But perhaps more disturbing than the frequency of killings is the growing danger that Nigerians may become accustomed to them.

The latest killings in Plateau State are another grim reminder of how dangerously familiar violence has become in parts of the country.

At least nine people were reportedly killed in separate attacks across Barkin Ladi, Riyom and neighbouring communities between Saturday night and Sunday morning, September 19 and 20, 2026. Among the victims was a pastor who was reportedly on his way to church.

The Northern Christian Association condemned the attacks and warned against allowing the deaths of innocent citizens to become routine.

Its chairman, Joseph Hayab, said every life lost should command the attention of government and society, regardless of ethnic, religious or political differences.

The latest attacks reportedly included the killing of five people travelling towards Gana-Ropp in Barkin Ladi when their vehicle came under attack. Two other people, including a pastor, were reportedly killed while on their way to church at Dorowa Babuje. Separate killings were also reported in Baten Wereng and Ratyidi.

Hayab’s warning deserves wider reflection.
“Is that how lives have become so cheap that they can now be taken at will?” he asked, urging Nigerians not to become accustomed to killings.

That question goes beyond Plateau State. It speaks to a broader national crisis in which the death of citizens can quickly become another statistic, another headline and, eventually, another forgotten story.

Only weeks before the latest Plateau attacks, at least 25 people were reported killed in an overnight attack on Bin-Per village in the state.

Reuters reported that a local councillor said 23 people were killed during the attack, with another victim later dying in hospital.

Yet, barely weeks later, public attention has moved on to another casualty figure.

That may be one of the most disturbing consequences of prolonged insecurity.

When death becomes a statistic
Repeated exposure to violence can change the way society responds to tragedy.

When killings occur frequently enough, individual victims risk disappearing behind numbers.

Nine killed in Plateau.

Twenty-five killed in another attack.

Eleven killed along a road in Taraba.

Thirty-seven detainees dead in Niger State.

Each number represents people who had families, friends, responsibilities and plans.

Yet the speed with which one tragedy replaces another in the news cycle can make the victims appear to exist only as figures.

The deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State provide another troubling example.

The detainees were arrested during operations around M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto on September 15 and 16 before 37 were found dead in custody on September 17.

The NSCDC initially referred to a suspected disease outbreak, while authorities subsequently said the exact cause of death remained subject to medical and laboratory investigations.

The incident has since prompted investigations, with the NSCDC suspending its Niger State commandant and other officers linked to the deaths.

Whatever the eventual findings establish, the incident reinforces a fundamental principle: people in state custody do not cease to have a right to life.

The same principle applies to travellers killed on roads, farmers attacked in their communities, worshippers ambushed on their way to church and residents forced from their homes.

A long history of violence
Nigeria’s insecurity did not begin with the current administration.

An analysis published by HumAngle in 2023, using data from the Nigeria Security Tracker and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, found that more than 63,000 fatalities were recorded between June 2015 and May 2023, an average of about 22 deaths per day.

The analysis included deaths involving civilians and security personnel and covered violence by both state and non-state actors.

The figures demonstrate how deeply insecurity became embedded in the country during the eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The problem has continued under President Bola Tinubu.

Amnesty International reported in May 2025 that at least 10,217 people had been killed in attacks by armed groups across seven states during the first two years of Tinubu’s administration. The organisation recorded 6,896 deaths in Benue and 2,630 in Plateau among the states covered by its investigation.

The Nigerian government disputed aspects of Amnesty International’s figures and said some of the claims were inconsistent with data in its possession.

These differing assessments are important because casualty figures should be treated with care. But the disagreement over numbers should not obscure the central reality:

thousands of Nigerians have continued to lose their lives to violence.

Democracy must value life
Nigeria’s history of military rule and prolonged communal, ethnic and religious conflicts has left a painful legacy.

But democracy should represent more than the periodic transfer of political power.

It should also mean a stronger culture of accountability, protection of citizens and respect for human life.

Leadership matters.

When citizens are killed, presidents, governors and heads of government agencies should respond with more than carefully worded statements of condemnation.

Condemnation is necessary, but it cannot be the final response.

Families need justice. Communities need protection.

Victims deserve to be remembered as human beings rather than casualty figures.

Security agencies, too, must recognise the enormous responsibility that comes with the authority entrusted to them.

Protecting life and property is not simply a constitutional or institutional obligation; it is the foundation of public trust.

Compassion must not be selective
There is also a responsibility on citizens.

Nigeria’s political, ethnic and religious divisions have sometimes affected how people respond to violence.

A death can attract sympathy from one section of society and indifference from another simply because of the perceived identity or political affiliation of the victim.

That is dangerous.
A life should not become more valuable because the victim is the relative, supporter or associate of a politician we admire.

Neither should a death become less important because the victim belongs to a community, ethnic group, religious group or political camp with which we disagree.

Social media has made this problem more visible. Reports of killings are sometimes questioned, dismissed or politicised before the facts are properly established.

The result is a public conversation in which even tragedy can become another battlefield.
That should concern every Nigerian.

Nigeria must not normalise death
The challenge before Nigeria is therefore not only how to stop individual attacks.

It is also how to prevent society from losing its capacity to be outraged by the needless loss of life.

The nine people killed in Plateau were not statistics. The 37 people who died in custody in Niger were not merely a number.

The victims of violence along the Rafin Kada–Wukari road in Taraba were not simply another entry in a security report.

The road attacks there had reportedly claimed 11 lives by August.

Every figure represents a human story.

Nigeria cannot afford to become a country where death is ordinary and compassion is selective.

Every life matters, whether the victim is a farmer, trader, traveller, worshipper, student, security officer, detainee or public servant.

The country must therefore resist the temptation to become numb.

A society that stops being shocked by the unnecessary killing of its citizens risks losing something deeper than security: it risks losing its conscience.

And no nation should become so familiar with violence that the death of its people no longer shocks it.

The Niger Delta Development Commission has urged traditional rulers, community leaders, youth groups and residents across the Niger Delta to take collective responsibility for protecting public infrastructure against vandalism and theft.

The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, made the call at a Stakeholders’ Forum on Public Infrastructure and Vandalism Prevention held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Ogbuku, who was represented at the event by the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue, said the government had a responsibility to provide basic infrastructure, but communities must ensure that such facilities are protected after they are delivered.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDDC Director of Corporate Affairs, Sealed Thompson-Wakama, Ogbuku said the destruction of public infrastructure places additional financial pressure on government and slows the pace of development.

He explained that funds that could have been used to provide new infrastructure were often diverted to repair facilities that had already been constructed but were vandalised.

“The aim of the government is to focus on infrastructure, but after building, how do we protect it? Where public infrastructure is vandalised, money meant for new projects is diverted to repair what has been built, thus limiting infrastructure progress.

“Security is an important factor in society. Development strengthens security and security protects development,” he said.

The NDDC boss urged community leaders to regard government-funded projects in their areas as community assets rather than facilities belonging exclusively to the government.

He called for increased awareness among residents to encourage them to protect infrastructure and report suspicious activities to the relevant authorities.

“There is a need to create awareness and educate citizens that projects executed by the government are the property of the community, and they should protect it.

“We should move to building a culture where vandalism becomes socially unacceptable,” Ogbuku said.

He urged residents, traditional institutions, community leaders, youth organisations and other stakeholders to take ownership of public infrastructure and work together to prevent vandalism and theft.

Ogbuku also highlighted the need for greater community involvement in protecting roads, bridges, electricity facilities, water projects, schools, healthcare centres and other development projects established across the Niger Delta.

He said protecting such facilities was essential to ensuring that communities continued to benefit from government investments.

Also speaking at the forum, the NDDC Director of Community and Rural Development, Theophilus Alagoa, expressed concern over the destruction of government facilities in communities, noting that in many cases, no one takes responsibility for protecting them.

Alagoa said the forum was aimed at educating residents and stakeholders about the need to safeguard public infrastructure.

“This event was organised to inform and educate everyone that government projects are our property and it is imperative to take care of the investment,” he said.

He warned that vandalising, destroying or stealing government infrastructure constituted a serious crime and an act of economic sabotage.

According to him, vandalism and theft of public facilities not only result in the loss of government resources but also disrupt the delivery of essential services to residents.

He added that deliberate destruction of infrastructure increases the cost of maintaining and replacing facilities, thereby placing additional pressure on public finances.

The event facilitator, Ibiyekaribo Inko-Tariah, said the programme was organised as part of efforts to protect government-funded projects and ensure that critical infrastructure continued to serve the communities for which they were provided.

• The stakeholders’ forum underscored the importance of community participation in protecting public investments and sustaining development projects across the Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Founder and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Olaniyi Oyedepo, on his 72nd birthday.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President joined the Oyedepo family, members of Living Faith Church Worldwide, the Christian community and the cleric’s admirers in celebrating his life and decades of service.

Tinubu commended Oyedepo for his contributions to the moral and spiritual development of individuals and communities, particularly his emphasis on integrity, discipline, diligence, responsibility and excellence.

The President also highlighted the cleric’s contributions to education and human-capital development through institutions established by his ministry, including Covenant University and Landmark University.

According to Tinubu, Oyedepo’s influence extends beyond the pulpit into education, publishing, leadership development and humanitarian service, while noting the international presence of the Living Faith Church.

“For over four decades of ministry, Bishop Oyedepo has become a prominent Nigerian voice on faith, leadership, integrity, education and human development,” the President said.

Tinubu also praised the social-development initiatives associated with Oyedepo’s ministry, including schools, healthcare facilities and humanitarian interventions.

He further acknowledged the activities of the David Oyedepo Foundation, particularly its support for education and assistance to people in need.

“Bishop David Oyedepo has devoted decades to preaching faith, promoting integrity and encouraging excellence, while investing substantially in education and the development of human capacity,” Tinubu said.

The President prayed for continued wisdom, strength, good health and renewed grace for the cleric as he continues his service to God and humanity.

“On this auspicious occasion of his 72nd birthday, I celebrate his life of service and pray that Almighty God will continue to grant him wisdom, strength, good health and renewed grace as he advances the cause of faith, education, morality and human development,” Tinubu said.

Tinubu wished the Bishop many more years of fulfilment, good health and continued service.