The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has expressed concern over persistent violence in parts of Nigeria.
Guterres therefore called on all stakeholders to work together to bring peace and stability to the country.
The UN chief said this in a statement by his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, on Tuesday.
He was reacting to the attacks recorded in Gwaska village in Kaduna State.
The statement read, “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack on May 5, 2018 in Gwaska village, Kaduna State, north-western Nigeria, which resulted in scores of casualties.
“The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and to the government and people of Nigeria, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.
“The Secretary-General calls for those responsible for this attack to be swiftly brought to justice.
“The Secretary-General also expresses his continued concern over the persisting violence and urges all actors to work together to bring peace and stability to the country.”
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, had sent a petition to Guterres accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of human rights violation.
Secondus had in the petition also accused Buhari of allegedly being behind the spate of herdsmen and farmers clashes in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
Also, the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Dr. Felix Omobude, on Tuesday bemoaned the spate of violence in the country, adding that Nigeria was “degenerating into a failed state.”
Omobude lamented that the killing of unsuspecting Nigerians by armed herdsmen and other criminals had gone unabated such that it had become a daily affair.
The PFN president spoke during an interview with journalists in Benin, the Edo State capital.
He said, “There is hardly any day that you do not hear of bloodshed, killings either by Boko Haram, through suicide bombing, or herdsmen killings across the country. The PFN is worried as Nigeria is degenerating into a failed state.
“Whereas we have a government in office, it appears that this situation is overwhelming our security forces.”
The cleric, who is also the founder of the New Covenant Gospel Church, called on government at all levels to ensure the safety and security of Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnicity or religion.
Omobude said, “We hold the current administration to their campaign promises of change for the better. We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his government and the ruling party to take a look at the promises made to Nigerians and make every effort to fulfil them.”
The PFN president faulted the claim by President Buhari that those responsible for the killings were not herdsmen but fighters who had infiltrated the country from outside.
He also described the suspected herdsmen responsible for the killings in the country as terrorists.
Omobude said, “We are amazed that our President can announce that in the UK and the US and has not said it at home. But even if that was the truth, if someone is using my name to perpetrate evil, I should fight it and stop him from doing so.
“So, if these people (herdsmen) are coming from outside, it is the government’s responsibility to check the borders and fish them out. It is not my responsibility. It (government) should do the needful.”
He said, “Honestly, whatever language you use to describe their activity, it all points to terrorism. What do you say? People go out and say that they are cattle rearers only to spring out and bring AK47 rifles, kill owners of the farm, rape their wives and disappear into the thin air. So, it is terrorism.”
The cleric, therefore, called on the President to take urgent steps to address the insecurity in the country.
When asked if the President had not done enough to check the state insecurity, the PFN president said, “I will leave that to Nigerians to decide. What the PFN is saying is that it is the responsibility of government to safeguard the people. So, if it were enough, we would not have been crying.
“The cry is all over the place, across party lines. When we are dealing with this issue, we should not be thinking about parties.
“We want it stopped; it does not really matter to us which party is ruling. We want good government; we want peace and security for all Nigerians.”