Suspend campaigns, tackle killing epidemic before Nigeria dies
Recent reports and editorials from April 2026 have raised an urgent alarm regarding a "killing epidemic" across Nigeria, with prominent voices calling for a suspension of political campaigning to focus entirely on the security crisis.
The phrase "Suspend campaigns, tackle killing epidemic before Nigeria dies" stems from a growing consensus among civil society, media outlets like The Punch (published April 7, 2026), and religious leaders following a series of mass casualty events over the Easter period and early April.
Recent Catalyst Events (March–April 2026)
The outcry intensified following a wave of violence across several states:
Plateau State (March 29–30): Gunmen attacked the Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North, killing over 28 people. Despite a visit by President Tinubu on April 3, fresh killings were reported in Jos South within hours of his departure.
Kaduna State (Easter Sunday, April 5): Armed groups attacked two churches (First ECWA and St. Augustine’s Catholic) in the Ariko community, killing at least seven worshippers and kidnapping several others.
Borno State (Mid-March): Multiple suicide bombings in Maiduguri, including attacks at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and local markets, left at least 23 dead and over 100 injured.
The Core Demand: "Security Over Politics"
Public commentators and groups like the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) argue that the current focus on the 2027 election cycle is premature and insensitive given the mounting death toll.
The Campaign Suspension: Critics are demanding that the Federal Government and all political actors halt early 2027 electioneering activities. They argue that the energy and resources being poured into political "consultations" should instead be redirected toward a national emergency response to banditry and insurgency.
The "Killing Epidemic": This term is being used to describe the "structural" nature of the violence, which is no longer confined to the North-East but has spread as a "distributed pattern of insecurity" across the Middle Belt and North-West.
Accountability Deficit: There is significant frustration over the "visibility of arrests." While authorities frequently promise to "bring perpetrators to book," the lack of public prosecutions is seen as an "enabling environment" for further violence.
Humanitarian Impact
The security crisis has triggered a secondary disaster in the Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states. As of April 3, 2026:
4.8 million people are facing crisis-level food insecurity.
Over 700 people were killed or injured in the North-East in March alone.
Humanitarian funding for 2026 is critically low, with only 1.3% of the required $224 million received so far.
The prevailing sentiment in the Nigerian press today is that if the state cannot fulfill its primary constitutional obligation—the security of lives and property—the foundation of the 2027 democratic process itself is at risk.
