#FixPolitics Initiative has condemned the presidential response to the unprovoked killing of innocent citizens in Jos, Plateau State, on Palm Sunday.

In a statement by the Executive Director, #FixPolitics Africa, Anthony Ubani, the research-based, citizens-led movement noted Palm Sunday as a day that should symbolise peace, reflection, and hope, but eventually “became a day of bloodshed.”

Armed men reportedly stormed communities in Jos, killing men, women, and children in cold blood.

According to Ubani, this is not just another tragic incident; it is part of a deeply disturbing and recurring pattern of violence that continues to plague communities across Nigeria.

#FixPolitics states clearly: “This is unacceptable. Equally troubling is the now predictable and inadequate response of the government. In a functioning state, protecting lives and property is the most basic responsibility of leadership. Yet, time and again, Nigerians are left exposed, vulnerable, and alone when violence strikes.

“It is particularly alarming that it took three full days before the President (Bola Tinubu) could issue a public statement on this massacre and announce a planned condolence visit to Jos. We also find it inadequate that, when the President eventually went on a condolence visit to the state, he stopped at the Jos Airport and did not reach the scene of the conflict. The explanation by the Presidency that scheduling and logistics challenges necessitated this is unacceptable.”

A condolence visit, it noted, should be a condolence visit in both word and deed.

The statement added: “In moments of national tragedy, leadership must be swift, visible, and decisive. Silence, delay, and distance send the wrong message, not only to grieving citizens, but also to perpetrators who continue to act with impunity.

“Condemnation after the fact and curfews after the killings are not enough. Statements without consequences are not enough. Nigeria is gradually normalising mass violence, and that is a dangerous place for any nation to be.”

Ubani pointed out that the continued failure to prevent these attacks, apprehend perpetrators and secure vulnerable communities “raises serious questions about the effectiveness, priorities and accountability” of our security architecture.

#FixPolitics believes that Nigeria cannot continue on this path. It, therefore, called for independent investigation and accountability; a shift from reactive to preventive security, including intelligence-led operations in known flashpoints across Plateau and other high-risk states.

Other demands by the group include comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s security architecture to improve coordination, intelligence gathering, rapid response capability and community engagement; immediate deployment of adequately equipped security personnel to protect at-risk communities, especially during periods of heightened vulnerability such as religious observances; demonstration of urgency and presence by the President in moments of national crisis; and justice for families, who have lost loved ones.

“Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads. When citizens begin to lose faith in the ability of the state to protect them, the consequences extend far beyond security; they strike at the very foundation of nationhood. This must not continue.

“The lives lost in Jos must not just add to the statistics of a long list of forgotten tragedies. Their deaths must serve as a turning point, one that compels urgent, decisive, and sustained action. Anything less would be a betrayal,” the group added.

#FixPolitics is a research-based, citizens-led movement designed to structurally change and innovate politics in Africa, beginning from Nigeria’s.