The grim numbers behind growing insecurity in Nigeria
Two years ago, President Bola Tinubu took the oath of office, promising a stronger, safer Nigeria. But today, that promise seems to be fading under a growing shadow of violence and insecurity — especially in the country’s northern states. A new report by Amnesty International reveals a chilling picture: at least 10,217 people have been killed in violent attacks by armed groups since May 29, 2023.
The numbers are stark. Benue State alone accounts for a staggering 6,896 deaths, while Plateau State has recorded 2,630 deaths in the same period. Other hotspots include Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states , where residents live in daily fear of raids, abductions, and destruction.
Yet, beyond the numbers lies a bigger crisis , one that’s threatening lives, livelihoods, and Nigeria’s long-term stability.
“The only relationship between us and the government is that they issue media statements after we are attacked and killed,” said a resident of Maru LGA in Zamfara, echoing a sentiment that is becoming far too common.
A rural bloodbath no one is talking about
Amnesty International’s latest investigation exposes a deeply troubling trend — Nigeria’s rural communities have become ground zero for banditry and armed conflict. The report reveals that 638 villages have been sacked in Zamfara, while 725 others remain under the control of bandits across 13 local governments.
In Benue, the attacks have swept through all 23 LGAs, leaving more than 200 villages in ruins. And in Plateau, coordinated raids on 167 rural communities have displaced entire populations — sometimes more than once, as IDP camps themselves come under attack.
In just one week , between March 27 and April 2, 2025, five communities in Plateau’s Bokkos LGA were assaulted by armed herders in a spate of coordinated violence.
The result? A humanitarian crisis simmering beneath the surface. Over 450,000 people in Benue and 65,000 in Plateau are now internally displaced. With farms abandoned and food supplies dwindling, many survivors have been reduced to begging. In Zamfara’s Dangulbi district, sweet potatoes rot in fields because farmers are too scared to transport them to market.
A rural bloodbath no one is talking about
Amnesty International’s latest investigation exposes a deeply troubling trend — Nigeria’s rural communities have become ground zero for banditry and armed conflict. The report reveals that 638 villages have been sacked in Zamfara, while 725 others remain under the control of bandits across 13 local governments.
In Benue, the attacks have swept through all 23 LGAs, leaving more than 200 villages in ruins. And in Plateau, coordinated raids on 167 rural communities have displaced entire populations — sometimes more than once, as IDP camps themselves come under attack.
In just one week , between March 27 and April 2, 2025, five communities in Plateau’s Bokkos LGA were assaulted by armed herders in a spate of coordinated violence.
The result? A humanitarian crisis simmering beneath the surface. Over 450,000 people in Benue and 65,000 in Plateau are now internally displaced. With farms abandoned and food supplies dwindling, many survivors have been reduced to begging. In Zamfara’s Dangulbi district, sweet potatoes rot in fields because farmers are too scared to transport them to market.In Katsina alone, over 294 people were killed, and 306 people abducted (mostly women and girls) between May 2023 and May 2025. Zamfara recorded 273 killings and 467 abductions. The mining sector is not spared either. In April 2025, over 20 miners were killed in an attack on a site in Gobirawar Chali, Maru LGA.
Meanwhile, newly formed armed groups like Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi, and Mamuda in Kwara, are carving out new territories of violence and spreading chaos into areas previously untouched.
What now?
There is growing pressure on President Tinubu’s administration to move beyond rhetoric and implement concrete, coordinated, and community-based security strategies in Nigeria. More than ever, accountability for those perpetrating these atrocities — and support for the victims — must take center stage.
Nigeria may not be at war in the conventional sense, but for millions of citizens in Benue, Zamfara, Plateau, and beyond, daily life feels like a battlefield.
And as one weary farmer in Katsina put it:
“We no longer sleep with both eyes closed. We no longer know peace.”
Source: BUSINESS DAY
