Pope Leo XIV calls President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate unwavering resolve in safeguarding citizens amid a wave of deadly attacks that have claimed over 200 lives in the past week, including a brutal assault on a Kwara State village.
The pontiff voiced profound grief in a message posted on his official X account, decrying the “recent attacks against various communities in Nigeria, leading to a heavy loss of life.”
“I express my prayerful closeness to all the victims of violence and terrorism,” he added, extending spiritual solidarity to those bereaved.
In a pointed appeal to authorities, the Pope implored: “I likewise hope that the competent authorities will continue to work with determination to ensure the safety and protection of the life of every citizen.” His remarks underscore mounting international pressure on the Tinubu administration to curb escalating insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation.
The carnage unfolded last week across multiple regions, with gunmen suspected to be terrorists storming the Woro community in Kwara State’s Kaiama Local Government Area on Tuesday. The raid left more than 170 people dead and scores of homes and properties razed, according to local reports.ae90bd Separate assaults in Benue and Katsina states pushed the death toll beyond 200, displacing thousands and amplifying fears of a coordinated terror offensive.
The Vatican leader’s intervention follows widespread outrage, including sharp rebukes from Amnesty International, which decried the government’s “failure to protect civilians,” and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who labeled the killings a “national tragedy” demanding immediate federal action.
Security forces have launched operations in response, but critics argue that persistent banditry and insurgency — rooted in poverty, ethnic tensions and arms proliferation — require bolder strategies beyond reactive deployments. Tinubu’s office has yet to publicly address the Pope’s message, though officials previously vowed to eradicate such threats.
The incidents mark a grim escalation in long-running battle against extremism, where over 10,000 lives have been lost to violence in the past year alone, per rights groups.
