Insecurity: “We risk losing our Humanity” – Peter Obi cries out

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has lamented the growing wave of violent crimes in the country, warning that Nigeria risks losing its humanity if citizens continue to treat brutality and killings with indifference.

Obi stated this on Tuesday while reacting to recent incidents involving the killing of a teacher and the reported rape and murder of an elderly woman.

In a strongly worded statement posted on his official X account, the former Anambra State governor described the incidents as shocking signs of deepening moral and social collapse in the country.

“Some events shatter a society so deeply that words are no longer enough to express the shock; the brutal killing of a teacher and the horrific rape and murder of an elderly woman are among such tragedies,” Obi wrote.

“These are not isolated incidents but signs of deeper moral and social decay.”

The former presidential candidate questioned how Nigeria had descended to a point where teachers were being hunted and killed while elderly citizens suffered violent and degrading attacks.

“How did we get here? How did we reach a point where teachers are hunted and killed, and the elderly — custodians of memory and wisdom- suffer such dehumanising violence?” He asked.

Obi argued that the situation had gone beyond insecurity, describing it as evidence of a wider collapse in compassion, responsibility and collective values within society.

“This is more than a security crisis; it is a failure of collective humanity,” he stated.

“We have become desensitised, consuming tragedy briefly and moving on, allowing indifference to normalise the unacceptable.”

The former governor expressed sympathy for families affected by the incidents but stressed that public grief alone would not solve the country’s worsening security and moral challenges.

“To the families affected, I share in your grief. But grief alone is not enough,” he said.

Obi called for urgent systemic reforms and accountability, warning that continued silence and inaction could further erode the nation’s moral foundation.

“We must demand accountability and urgent systemic change. If such atrocities no longer move us to action, then we risk losing our shared humanity,” he added.

The statement comes amid rising public concern over increasing cases of kidnapping, killings, sexual violence and other violent crimes reported across parts of the country in recent months.