Ten years after Boko Haram launched its first violent attack in Nigeria and following a series of violence that has occurred in the country ever since, civil society groups organized a National Day of Mourning on Tuesday, May 28 to honour the victims of violent crimes across the country.
The procession which was held across various states in the country took into account the number of Nigerians that have lost their lives to insurgency in the North by Boko Haram, banditry, herdsmen crises and all cases of violence in the past years.
The coordinator of the procession, Jaiye Gaskiya said that it was necessary to demand accountability on the security and welfare of all Nigerians and also stand in solidarity with families who have lost loved ones.
“We are always saying people are dying. Whenever you read newspapers you will see 27 people were killed in a community. These 27 people are human beings and they have names, they have families,” he added.
Many Nigerians took the opportunity to express their displeasure on the state of insecurity in the country while calling on the government to do something about the situation.
Sharing her thoughts on the issue via Twitter, Oby Ezekwesili noted that; “We all mourn our fellow citizens who have died needlessly in our country.”
#NigeriaMourns. We all mourn our fellow citizens who have died needlessly in our country. The death of any one Nigerian diminishes all other Nigerians.
We stand with all families grieving deceased loved ones.
The Dignity of the Nigerian Life must be restored for progress. 🌹🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/WvFVmV9cGI— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) May 28, 2019