Prominent Nigerian politician and former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has raised alarm over what he describes as a fresh wave of mass killings across the country, warning that many incidents are being underreported and increasingly normalised.
In a statement posted on Sunday via his X handle, Olawepo-Hashim cited repeated attacks in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State and other parts of the North Central region as evidence of a widening security collapse. He said the true scale of violence is being dangerously underreported, with rural communities facing sustained assaults often without effective security response.
Recent attacks in Kebbi reportedly left more than 40 people dead and homes destroyed, with fears the toll could rise. Similar incidents in the state weeks earlier claimed more lives. In Kwara State, coordinated attacks across Kaiama, Edu, and Ifelodun have reportedly left dozens dead, including forest guards, yet many of these tragedies barely reach national attention.
Across the North Central region, the pattern is deeply troubling. Benue, Plateau, Niger, and Nasarawa states have all recorded repeated attacks, with hundreds feared killed within weeks. Taken together, these incidents suggest a humanitarian crisis receiving what Olawepo-Hashim called “selective attention and dangerous silence.”
He also highlighted the continued activities of armed groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), alongside expanding bandit networks, as indicators of deeper structural failures in security coordination. The muted response from global institutions such as the United Nations and the African Union, despite the scale of killings, has raised difficult questions about global attention and humanitarian priorities.
Olawepo-Hashim warned that if this trend continues, mass death risks being normalised, with tragedy becoming routine and urgency disappearing. “The killings continue, the numbers rise, and too many victims remain unseen and uncounted,” he said.
