A breaking news report detailed a terrifying terrorist attack on a Kogi State highway, where armed men kidnapped several travellers. The situation sparked fear and anger across social media, with many Nigerians expressing exhaustion over the country’s worsening insecurity. Yet, even in such a serious moment, some comments were surprisingly insensitive. One user wrote: “Lols when I hear bandit I remember they’re senior citizen,” laughing while referring to the attackers as “senior citizens.”
This kind of remark is inappropriate and tone-deaf. It reduces a violent, life-threatening incident to a joke and treats dangerous criminals as though they are harmless elders. Such comments dismiss the pain of victims and make light of a national crisis. At a time when people’s lives and safety are at stake, the least expected is empathy—not humour that downplays the gravity of terrorism.
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