No fewer than 2,287 people were killed in Nigeria between July and September of 2021 during violent incidents involving attacks from Boko Haram, militia herdsmen, abductions, gang clashes, and bandits.
In a report compiled by SBM Intelligence, a geopolitical intelligence platform, and EIE Nigeria, a civil society organisation, from data derived from media reports, 1,153 civilians were killed during the period, while 176 security personnel from Customs, Department of State Services, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Police and the military lost their lives within the period.
A further breakdown of people killed shows that 1,153 civilians, 675 bandits, 170 Boko Haram terrorists, 27 cultists, 105 soldiers, 67 police officers, 29 Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) members, 10 vigilante members, 24 armed robbers, 23 kidnappers, one NSCDC officer, one Customs officer, and two Immigration officers fell victims to attacks.
A breakdown of deaths by geo-political zones shows that 961 persons were killed in the North West, 867 in the North Central, 336 in the North East, 137 in the South East, 105 in the South-South, and 102 in the South West.
Among the states, Zamfara had the highest death rates with 495 victims, Niger had 306, while Borno recorded 285. In Kaduna, 259 people were killed Plateau had 175; Benue 113; Katsina 107; Sokoto 73; Imo 59; Adamawa 49; Abuja 40; Kogi 35; Delta 34; Anambra 33; Enugu 32; Lagos 28; Ogun 22; Oyo 21; Rivers 21; Osun 16; Akwa Ibom 13; Kebbi 12; Bayelsa 11; Ebonyi 11; Ondo 11; Edo 10; Kano 9; Kwara 7; Nasarawa 7; Cross River 6; Jigawa 6; Taraba 5; Ekiti 4; Yobe 3; Abia 2; Bauchi 2, and Gombe 2.
Cornerstone news reported that about 3,133 people were killed in Nigeria between April and June of 2021, with Benue, Zamfara, and Borno recording the highest deaths, while a total of 2,371 people were abducted in Nigeria between January and June of 2021, with N10 billion demanded as ransom for victims.
Niger state recorded the highest number of abducted persons with 643 victims in 28 kidnap cases, while 58 people were killed during the abductions. Zamfara State came second with 519 kidnap victims in seven incidents, leading to the deaths of 22 people, while Kaduna state recorded 360 kidnap victims in 26 incidents, leading to the deaths of 41 persons. The most targets in the abductions that took place in the first half of 2021 were schools where hundreds of students were taken hostage in the northwest.
