Amnesty International has said that at least 10, 217 people were killed in attacks by gunmen in Benue, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara States in the first two years of President Bola Tinubu’s government.

In a Monday statement shared on Facebook, the global rights group said Benue State accounts for the highest death toll, followed by Plateau State, where 2, 630 people were killed.

“It is now over three years since President Bola Tinubu assumed office with a promise to enhance security. Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country,” Amnesty said.

The organisation noted that in the first two years of the administration, new armed groups have assumed power.

It identified Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi States, and Mamuda in Kwara State, while adding that hundreds of villages have been sacked by gunmen in Benue, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Plateau and Zamfara.

Amnesty warned that escalating attacks are causing a looming humanitarian crisis.

“The majority of those displaced in Plateau and Katsina States told Amnesty International that they had to resort to begging to survive daily life,” the group said.

It cited Dangulbi district in Zamfara State, where “farmers have to watch their harvest of sweet potatoes rot because bandits have prevented them from transporting them to the nearest market.”

The rights group said under international human rights law, the authorities have an obligation to protect lives, ensure those suspected of perpetrating the killings are held to account, and provide victims with access to justice and effective remedies.

“Again and again, the Nigerian authorities are failing to live up to these obligations,” Amnesty stated. (The Sun)