YOLA NINE: Timi Frank Weeps, Demands Justice for Victims

.... Described the killing of the nine women as “senseless, unforgivable, inhuman and avoidable.”

.... The killing of the Yola Nine is a tragedy Nigeria must not brush aside.

.... “Justice must be non-negotiable. Accountability must be immediate. And this barbarism must never happen again.

.... Insist on full compensation to the bereaved families, including scholarships for the victims’ children and long-term welfare plans to prevent the tragedy from plunging entire households into destitution. 

.... “These women must not die in vain.”

The recent killing of nine protesting women in Yola Adamawa state by military operatives, has continued to attract high level condemnations from well-meaning Nigerians and stakeholders in the "Project Nigeria". 

Adding his voice to the condemnations is former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank.

Soldiers had allegedly opened fire on protesting women in the Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State on Monday.

Also, 51 others were said to have been hospitalised where most of them are still receiving treatment for varying degrees of gunshot wounds, many of them life-threatening.

Frank in a statement in Abuja described the killing of the nine women as “senseless, unforgivable, inhuman and avoidable.”

He noted that the victims - ordinary women, mothers and breadwinners who had stepped out only to protest the insecurity consuming their communities - were met with lethal force when all they sought was protection for their children. “Their only offence was demanding safety,” he lamented.

The incident, which has triggered widespread outrage, adds to what Frank called a mounting record of state violence and military impunity in Nigeria and across Africa. 

He cited troubling statistics indicating that over 10,000 Nigerian youths have been killed or disappeared in recent years through military operations and extrajudicial actions. 

“This culture of violence and unaccountability must end,” he declared, his voice breaking with emotion.

Frank rejected what he described as the government’s habit of announcing panels of inquiry that ultimately serve as “political theatre” designed to bury justice. 

From the #EndSARS killings at Lekki Toll Gate to crackdowns in Cameroon, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe, he said, those who issue shoot-to-kill orders have repeatedly escaped responsibility. “This time, we will not accept delays, excuses or another meaningless probe,” he vowed.

The ULMWP Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East issued a set of demands he said must be met urgently. 

He called for the arrest and prosecution of military officers - both those on the ground and their commanders - who played any role in what he described as the “barbaric” slaughter of the Yola Nine.

He insisted that the federal and state governments owe full compensation to the bereaved families, including scholarships for the victims’ children and long-term welfare plans to prevent the tragedy from plunging entire households into destitution. “These women must not die in vain,” he said.

Given what he termed the consistent failure of Nigeria’s justice system to punish human rights violations, Frank urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open investigations into military abuses in Nigeria and across Africa. 

Frank who also serves as the Senior Advisor to the Global Friendship City Association (GFCA), USA, further demanded sanctions, travel bans and international prosecutions for military leaders who authorise or enable the killing of unarmed civilians.

Frank also called on the global community—human rights organisations, civil society groups, women’s coalitions and all citizens—to amplify their voices for the Yola Nine. In a direct appeal, he urged President Donald Trump and the U.S. government to speak out, demand accountability, and support international action. 

“The U.S. has shown willingness to stand with oppressed African citizens. We appeal for that moral leadership now,” he stated.

He said the tragedy is more than a national wound; it is “a stain on Africa’s conscience” and a test of whether governments will continue to allow soldiers, whose duty is to protect, to open fire on peaceful citizens without consequence.

“The killing of the Yola Nine is a tragedy Nigeria must not brush aside,” he said. “Justice must be non-negotiable. Accountability must be immediate. And this barbarism must never happen again.”