Atiku joins #NorthIsBleeding campaign, says region facing existential threat

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday joined #NorthIsBleeding campaign put up by some Nigerians from the Northern part of the country to raise awareness about the deteriorating state of the region.

The #NorthIsBleeding campaigners have taken to microblogging and social media platforms to lament the incessant failure of security agencies to combat insecurity in the region, especially during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2019 presidential candidate said the North needs to wake up from slumber and engage to solve problems.

Atiku said: “The #NorthIsBleeding because we’ve been complacent. We need to wake up from our slumber and collectively acknowledge that we face an existential threat.

“We must never be shy of speaking about our challenges and then engaging to solve the problems. To #SecureNorth, we need a leadership direction that will mobilise all hands on deck.”

Last Friday, a group of Northern youths protested against the threat of insecurity in the region.

The protesters, under the Coalition of Concerned Northern Nigerian Groups, demanded an immediate end to the killings going on in the region.

Speaking to journalists, one of the leaders of the group, Zainab Ahmed, said the northern part of Nigeria was bleeding owing to the incessant killings in the region.

She said: “We are here to call on the Nigerian government that the North is bleeding and enough is enough. We are tired of burying our women, children, and men. Our crops are being razed by bandits.”