Political commentator, Mahdi Shehu has criticised Nigeria’s leadership and the current security situation, describing the country as being in turmoil and under siege amid widespread killings and kidnappings.
Shehu made the remarks in a post shared on his official account on Saturday.
He lamented what he described as government indifference to rising insecurity.
“Only in a failing country like Nigeria can 610,000 people lose their lives within one year and everything seems okay,” he wrote.
He said the high rate of deaths would be considered shocking even in a war situation.
He called it catastrophic and scandalous.
Shehu also claimed that criminal gangs extorted as much as N2 trillion from innocent citizens through ransom payments, yet, according to him, the situation is treated as normal.
“Only in a strange country like Nigeria will N2 trillion be extorted from innocent citizens in the name of ransom payment and everybody pretends all is well,” he said.
He further criticised the handling of armed groups, alleging that criminals responsible for killings and kidnappings are later granted amnesty and reintegrated into society.
“Only in a shaky country like Nigeria will criminal gangs that killed those people and extorted ransom be granted amnesty, clemency, pardon and state forgiveness after they have repented,” Shehu stated.
The commentator also questioned reports of negotiations with armed groups, claiming that some criminal leaders attend peace meetings fully armed and dressed in military uniforms, while security officials arrive unarmed.
“Only in a country whose future is bleak, black and grey will known criminal gang leaders attend negotiations fully armed, while security agencies are forced to come unarmed,” he alleged.
Shehu listed what he described as signs of national collapse, including mass killings, ransom payments running into trillions of naira, and what he called contradictory statements from government officials.
“If over 610,000 people can be killed within twelve months and nothing bothers the government except confusion and contradictory political statements, then something is wrong,” he said.
He also criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s frequent travels and government spending amid insecurity.
“If Tinubu still finds pleasure in travelling at will in the face of blood flowing, and continues to spend lavishly while security challenges remain unresolved, then Nigerians should ask hard questions,” Shehu wrote.
He further questioned the political future of the ruling elite, suggesting that plans for the 2027 elections show a disconnect from the suffering of citizens.
“If leaders still believe everything is fine ahead of 2027, then it means Nigerians are being taken for granted,” he said.
“It simply means Nigerians are a special species that cannot be moved by deliberate misfortune. It means Nigerians don’t deserve sympathy and are willing to become domesticated slaves in a country they thought was theirs.”
