At least 1,027 civilians lost their lives to a spectrum of preventable incidents such as violence, armed robbery, abductions, gang clashes, Boko Haram, Fulani herders and other forms of terrorist attacks in the first quarter of 2024.
In the same period, 123 security personnel, ranging from members of the police force to officials of the National Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and even soldiers, lost their lives to unfortunate but preventable outcomes.
The top seven states with these kinds of deaths, according to SBM Intelligence, are Zamfara (482), Borno (329), Katsina (328), Benue (297), Kaduna (157), Plateau (99), and Delta State (97).
The least affected states are Cross River (6), Lagos (5), Ekiti (4), Jigawa (4), Ondo (3), Abia (2) and Oyo State (2). Of the 2,371 Nigerians killed within this period, 613 were bandits, 213 Boko Haram members, 75 soldiers and 76 cultists, among others.
On January 1, Boko Haram insurgents invaded two Chibok communities in Borno State, killed 14 people and abducted one lady. The following day, the insurgents killed two locals in Dure and Wala communities in the Gwoza area of the state. By the end of January, Fulani herders had killed more than 31 locals in the Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas, and this has continued ever since.
In 2023 alone, 400 people in the same LGAs lost their lives to terrorist attacks while the government refused to take preemptive action. In March, 16 personnel of the Nigerian Army lost their lives to terrorist attacks in the Okuama community of Delta State.
READ ALSO: Fulani Herders Return to Plateau Communities, Kill Over 30
UNFULFILLED PROMISES FROM THE PRESIDENT
In October 2022, Bola Tinubu, the then-presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), said that if elected into power, he would end insecurity, but this has not been the case, as data reveals.
In December 2023, George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said President Bola Tinubu was determined to end the insecurity ravaging many parts of the country, another promise that has yet to be fulfilled.
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