The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the massacre in Malumfashi, Katsina, where dozens of worshippers and villagers were killed.
The party said the incident further exposed the collapse of Nigeria’s security system.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC national publicity secretary, said the killings are part of a wider wave of terror in Katsina and Zamfara, which has claimed more than 140 lives in two months.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to “stop jet-setting across the world” and urgently declare a state of emergency in the two states.
His words: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is deeply outraged and concerned by the recent massacre in Malumfashi local government area of Katsina state, where 30 worshippers were shot dead in a mosque during dawn prayers, and 20 villagers were burned alive in their homes.
“This evil act epitomises the horrors that Nigerians have been forced to endure under this administration.
“It is also a damning proof of the total collapse of our national security architecture, which has prompted even the nation’s chief of defence staff to ask citizens to learn how to defend themselves.”
Abdullahi said recent killings in Zamfara highlight the worsening situation, adding that “over 140 Nigerians have been murdered in just two months in Katsina and Zamfara alone”.
He criticised Tinubu for failing to directly address victims’ families, saying the president “continues to chase photo-ops abroad while his people are dying in dozens at home”.
“Diplomacy abroad is meaningless if safety and security at home cannot be guaranteed,” he said.
The party called for a complete overhaul of the country’s security architecture, describing the call by the chief of defence staff for citizens to acquire self-defence skills as “the most honest indicator yet that the system has failed”.