Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has rejected public calls to honour former president Muhammadu Buhari following his death, accusing him of leading a regime marked by impunity, bloodshed, and disregard for justice.
Effiong, in a post shared on his official X account Monday, questioned why a nation that routinely fails to respect the living should expect reverence for its dead leaders. His comments came amidst growing national eulogies and an official mourning period declared by Bola Tinubu’s administration after Buhari’s passing in London.
“I hope we will also demand that the living in our country be honoured, just as we are now pontificating about honouring the memory of a man who dishonoured Nigerians in his lifetime,” he wrote.
Citing the ongoing insecurity across Nigeria, Effiong said the former president turned a blind eye to mass killings and abuses that defined his time in office. “People are being slaughtered across the country almost on a daily basis. Even Katsina State wasn’t spared during Buhari’s reign,” he noted.
He condemned the violent clampdowns on the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, stating that “hundreds of members… were hunted and massacred… without trial for protesting in Kaduna and Abuja.”
Turning attention to the Southeast, Effiong described the region’s bloody episodes as “a harvest of blood,” lamenting that Buhari’s military background did not translate into decisive action to stop the killings. “Murderous herdsmen operated with impunity under Buhari, and they’ve been on a killing spree under Tinubu,” he added.
Effiong also slammed Buhari’s failure to act on the findings of multiple investigative panels on police brutality. “The multiple reports into the atrocities of SARS were thrown into the dustbin by the same Buhari. No accountability for the victims of the Lekki Toll Gate,” he said.
He dismissed the national mourning narrative as an attempt to rewrite history and emotionally blackmail Nigerians. “No matter the emotional blackmail, Buhari left power with the blood of Nigerians on his hands. He failed as a leader, he was incompetent as president, and utterly irresponsible as commander-in-chief,” Effiong declared.
He concluded his post with a scathing verdict: “A country whose rogue rulers (Buhari inclusive) have an unbroken history of dishonouring the living cannot compel tormented citizens to honour the dead.”
The comment has sparked wide reactions online, with many Nigerians echoing Effiong’s views. @pioneerjoshua8 wrote: “Before Buhari came, Nigeria was already among the top 3 rapidly growing economies. BUBU took us 10–15 years back. Curse be upon him wherever he’s now.”
@PastorJohnLPM said, “One good thing about this is Tinubu is taking note. He is wondering, ‘so is this what these people are going to say about me to the world?’ I want to believe after today, Tinubu will be born again.” @deckdesmond added, “A country that dishonours the living has no right demanding respect for a leader who failed them so deeply.”
Another user, @dr_egwakhen, questioned the double standard: “You can’t talk about him when he was alive, and you can’t talk about him when he is dead because ‘you have to respect the dead.’ How about leaders respect citizens when they are alive?”
Buhari, who led Nigeria as a military ruler from 1983 to 1985 and as an elected president from 2015 to 2023, died on Sunday in the United Kingdom. His death has rekindled debate about his legacy, particularly on human rights, insecurity, and unresolved injustices.
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