NIGERIA lost 323 of its population to insecurity within the first 20 days of February, according to Amnesty International.
The organisation said in a statement on Saturday, February 21, that the killings occurred in Benue, Katsina, Kwara, Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara states.
“The rising death toll clearly shows that President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that have killed thousands of people.
“Incessant killings and the shocking failure of the authorities to end them and bring suspected perpetrators to justice have been and continue to be a threat to the right to life in Nigeria,” the organisation said.
The ICIR reports that Nigeria’s insecurity worsened with the emergence of Boko Haram in the early years of this century. With thousands killed and millions displaced, the group unleashed widespread mayhem, targeting infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and other essential amenities.
Several other deadly groups have since joined the terrorist group, including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Lakurawa, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and other killers and kidnappers widely known as bandits.
The activities of these groups span every region in Nigeria, particularly in the North-East, North-West, North-Central, and South-East.
Thousands of Nigerians, especially schoolchildren, have been abducted and killed over the years. Many victims of abduction spend months in kidnappers’ dens, and are slaughtered after their families have paid ransoms.
In addition to these groups, Nigeria has experienced farmer-herder clashes, including inter and intra-communal conflicts, which have exacted a high human toll.
Since 2020, Amnesty International said it had been documenting a horrifying pattern in which attackers invade villages on motorcycles and are heavily armed.
“They shoot sporadically at people, abduct women and girls, set houses on fire, steal livestock, destroy farm produce and abduct villagers for ransom. In recent cases, villagers received ‘warning letters’ from armed groups — ahead of attacks. Such attacks take hours. One of recent attacks on some villages in Niger state started from 3:00am to 10:00am.
“Most villagers told Amnesty International that the government left them at the mercy of their attackers. The government has an obligation to protect its population. The rising death toll in the north of Nigeria shows just how badly the authorities are failing in this responsibility,” the organisation stated.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org
A upcoming reporter and still have a short coming of established a station to build and uplift the country .
Nigerian is one let join our hands and our heads let move this one nation together