A coalition of Civil Society Organisations has marked the 9th National Day of Mourning with a warning over worsening insecurity in Nigeria, accusing the government of failing to meet its constitutional duty to protect lives and property.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the groups opened with a direct appeal, “Nigerian lives matter.”
The statement was signed by over 90 organisations, including Amnesty International Nigeria, BudgIT, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Yiaga Africa, and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, among many others.
The group maintained that the annual commemoration, which honours victims of mass atrocities and violent killings, had become a painful reminder of what they described as the state’s continued inability to halt widespread bloodshed across the country.
“The National Day of Mourning is a citizen-led initiative established to accord dignity to victims of mass atrocities and violent killings across Nigeria and to demand accountability from those constitutionally entrusted with the protection of lives and property,” the statement read.
