Nigeria is rapidly becoming a major centre for humanitarian response operations as insecurity, violent conflicts and mass displacement continue to worsen across the country, the Nigerian Red Cross Society has said.
Speaking during the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day activities in Abuja, the National President of the organisation, Oluyemisi Adeaga, disclosed that about 3.7 million Nigerians have been displaced due to rising insecurity and violent clashes across different parts of the country.
Adeaga warned that the growing humanitarian emergencies are stretching the organisation’s capacity, as the number of vulnerable people in need continues to rise without corresponding increases in volunteer support and funding.
“We are witnessing something extraordinary across the world, and Nigeria is becoming a hub of attraction for humanitarian services,” he said.
According to him, worsening conflicts and insecurity have increased pressure on humanitarian workers responding to crises nationwide.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar expressed concern over renewed killings in Plateau State, describing recent attacks in the state as evidence of a failed security response.
Atiku reacted to reports and videos showing gunmen attacking mourners during a mass burial in Barkin Ladi on Wednesday.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described the repeated violence in Plateau communities as bearing the “signature of organised terrorism.”
“The violent crises in Plateau State have become an open sore that Nigeria must urgently heal. What is happening is no longer random violence. It is a recurring pattern of coordinated terror attacks against vulnerable communities,” Atiku said.
He also criticised the administration of Bola Tinubu, accusing it of lacking an effective counterterrorism strategy to tackle the persistent attacks.
