The Nigerian Red Cross Society has declared that Nigeria is rapidly becoming a major hub for global humanitarian response efforts, even as it expressed deep concern over worsening insecurity, rising displacement figures, and dwindling funding support. Speaking during the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day activities in Abuja, National President Oluyemisi Adeaga disclosed that approximately 3.7 million Nigerians are currently displaced across the country due to escalating insecurity and violent conflicts.
Adeaga noted that the growing humanitarian emergencies have placed enormous pressure on the organization's operations, warning that the increasing number of vulnerable persons is not being matched by adequate volunteer strength and financial support. “We are witnessing something extraordinary across the world, and Nigeria is becoming a hub of attraction for humanitarian services,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday raised alarm over renewed killings in Plateau State, describing the recurring attacks and the reported assault on mourners during a burial in Barkin Ladi as a failure of security response in the state. Atiku was reacting to reports and videos from Barkin Ladi, where gunmen reportedly attacked mourners during a mass burial on Wednesday.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the repeated attacks in Plateau communities now bear the “signature of organized terrorism.” He also accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of lacking an effective counterterrorism strategy. “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 stated.
