•The dead include 23 military officers, 11 policemen

By Nnamdi Ojiego, Chioma Onuegbu, Chimobi Nwiwu & Cynthia Ahaiwe

In the last one week, no fewer than 100 people have been killed across Nigeria following a spike in insecurity.

So bloody was the week that eminent persons including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, urged government to do more beyond condemning the killings.

A similar condemnation  came from the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, which said the killings had further shown how human life is cheaper than those of chickens under the Buhari administration.

This was followed by a protest by northern youths in Abuja, last Friday, while lamenting that their lives had become worthless.

Indeed, there are no signs that wanton killings across the country may abate soon given the total number of people murdered by non-state actors in the last 35 days.

A  review of the security situation by Sunday Vanguard, relying on media reports,  showed that 23 military officers, 11 policemen and 298 other Nigerians were gruesomely killed across the country during the period.

The perpetrators of the killings include Boko Haram terrorists, armed herdsmen, bandits and unknown gunmen.

The increase in violent crimes has confirmed experts’ warning that if something drastic is not done, Nigerians would continue to pay dearly with their lives.

Disturbed by the situation, regional groups, weekend, said they have lost confidence in government handling of the security challenges.

In various chats with Sunday Vanguard, they said Nigerians should see current happenings as a reason  to elect  leaders who can surmount the challenges in 2023.

Decentralise

They, however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to decentralise the security system, address perceived injustice and lopsidedness in the country’s security arrangement.

National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Alex Ogbonnia, told Sunday Vanguard that part of the problem is the failure to decentralise the security architecture of the country.

He said: “The security architecture is concentrated at the centre. It is supposed to be decentralised. It will also assure the full participation of the people in the security architecture of the country.

“We have been talking about the biased nature of the security architecture of the nation. The Igbo don’t have anybody at the highest echelon of the security architecture.

“It shows inequity, injustice in security architecture. When you have perceived injustice, it affects efficiency and some people somewhere will be grumbling. It will be difficult to have cohesion and service delivery.”

Also, Igbo National Congress, INC, said: “We have lost confidence in the leadership of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, especially in terms of security. There is a conspiracy to conquer the country.”

Borders

On his part, the National Chairman of apex socio-cultural organization of the South-South zone, Pan Niger Delta Forum,PANDEF, Senator Emmanuel Essien, said the increased killings in the country show that government cannot contain the challenge.

Essien who made the assertion in an interview with Sunday Vanguard in Uyo urged Nigerians to elect leaders that would secure their lives in 2023.

His words:”What is happening in Nigeria in terms of security is very unfortunate. It is the failure of government. When a government is not able to secure its citizens and the country, such a government has failed.

“And the present government cannot contain the security challenges in the country. There is nowhere in the world that this kind of thing is happening and the President will not do something about it.

Also, opening the borders to people who infiltrate the country and people who think are your brothers, creates havoc in your country.’’

Bandits

Similarly, spokesperson for Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, Abdulazeez Sulaiman, said the North is now at the mercy of Boko Haram-ISWAP insurgents and bandits.

According to him, “it is unfortunate that Nigeria has found itself at crossroads with its very fragile democracy threatened by the worst insecurity of our lifetime. Northern Nigeria in particular, is now a region at the mercy of Boko Haram-ISWAP insurgents to the North East and ruthless bandits to the North West and North Central.

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The reality is that Nigeria has become a very insecure place to live in owing to the fact that the present government has proved it cannot secure the country’s borders, forests and highways.

“These challenges, unfortunately, are not peculiar to the North. The entire country appears to be under siege with every region having to cope with survival issues.

“Though very few people want to publicly admit it, the absolute reality is that the Buhari administration has lost the political will and capacity to face these daunting challenges, leaving self-defence as the only option for people to protect their families and their communities.

“People cannot be expected to keep fleeing their communities or burying their dead while leaders we elected are engrossed with the struggle for power and theft of our commonwealth. On our part, we are organizing a summit to look into and design solutions that would involve the people owning the struggle for personal survival.”

110, 55 and 49 fatalities

Meanwhile, the North-West, according to checks by Sunday Vanguard is the worst hit followed by North-East and North-Central with 110, 55 and 49 fatalities.

The South-West, South-South and South-East recorded the least casualties with eight, 13 and 26 in that order.

Findings also showed that Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara states recorded most deaths with 47, 32 and 26 respectively whereas Federal Capital Territory and Cross River had the least fatalities with one case each.

The figures were only reported cases in the media from November 6 –10 December in 21 incidents witnessed in all the six geo-political zones of the country.

Below is the breakdown of reported cases and number of casualties recorded.

NORTH-WEST

95 in Sokoto

November 14: Bandits killed 43 in Goronyo and Illela Local Government Areas in Sokoto.

November 15: Bandits killed one National Security & Civil Defence Corps officer in Sokoto.

November 15: Bandits killed three in Sabon Birni, Sokoto.

November 17: Bandits killed six in Sabon Birni, Sokoto.

December 8: Bandits set 42 travellers ablaze in Sokoto

35 in Zamfara

November 7: Armed bandits reportedly killed six persons and abducted many others during an attack in Rijiya village in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

November 8: Armed bandits killed at least seven Mobile Police officers during an ambush on a patrol team of security agents on the Magami – Gusau road in Zamfara State.

In another attack in Zamfara, bandits killed 13 people, wounded eight and abducted at least 17 others in an attack on Batsari town.

November 10: Bandits killed a village head and eight others in Tungar Ruwa in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

November 28: Bandits killed four in Gusau, Zamfara.

20 in Katsina

November 9: Gunmen killed 13 in Batsari, Katsina.

Another six people were killed in an attack on Gwarjo community in Matazu Local Government Area.

November 18: Two police officers were killed by bandits during a clash in Safana, Katsina.

November 21: Bandits killed four in Batagarawa, Katsina.

December 9: Katsina Commissioner assassinated by unknown gunmen in his private residence in Katsina

17 in Kaduna

November 6: Two of the 66 worshipers abducted from Emmanuel Baptist Church, Kakau Daji, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State were shot dead. Gunmen had stormed the church earlier, killing a worshipper and abducting others.

November 8: Herdsmen killed eight in Zangon Kataf, Kaduna.

November 8: Gunmen killed a retired Air Force chief and his grandson in a suspected targeted killing in Igabi, Kaduna.

November 21: Bandits killed one and kidnapped dozens (estimated at twenty-four) in Chikun, Kaduna.

November 29: Bandits killed one in Igabi, Kaduna.

December 3: Bandits killed two and kidnapped fifty in Chikun, Kaduna.

SOUTH-EAST

17 in Ebonyi

November 6: Sectarian violence led to 17 deaths in Ohaukwu, Ebonyi.

Ten in Imo

November 9: At least five people were killed in Anara, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State when gunmen attacked the community.

November 22: A gun battle resulted in the death of one soldier in Oru East, Imo State.

November 23: Gunmen killed one police officer during an attack on a police station in Ideato North, Imo.

December 8: Gunmen killed two during an attack in Imo community

December 10: Kidnappers murdered Imo monarch, dumped his body at market square

NORTH-EAST

32 in Taraba

November 10: At least 15 people, including three housewives, were killed at Binnari and Jab villages in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.

November 16: Sectarian violence led to two deaths in Wukari, Taraba State.

November 17: Cameroonian separatists crossed Nigeria’s border and killed 11 in Takum, Taraba State.

November 30: Sectarian violence led to 11 deaths in Gassol, Taraba.

23 in Borno

November 13: Twelve soldiers killed by Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) militants during a clash in Askira/Uba, Borno.

A Brigadier General, Dzarma Zirkusu, and three soldiers were killed in a fierce encounter with ISWAP terrorists in Borno.

November 25: Boko Haram militants killed two farmers in Konduga, Borno.

November 28: Two soldiers were killed by Boko Haram/ISWAP militants during a clash in Nganzai, Borno.

December 3: Boko Haram/ISWAP militants killed seven soldiers during a clash in Kala/Balge, Borno.

NORTH-CENTRAL

23 in Plateau

November 23: Herdsmen killed two in Bassa, Plateau.

November 26: Sectarian violence led to eleven deaths in Bassa, Plateau.

November 28: Nine inmates and one officer were killed during an attack on a correctional center in Jos, Plateau State.

12 in Benue

November 13: Gunmen shot dead at least four mourners during a funeral ceremony in a rural village at Mbayatyo Mbater council ward of Logo Local Government Area in Benue State.

November 15: Gunmen killed a chief’s son and kidnapped his daughter in Ado, Benue.

November 18: Gunmen killed seven people in Katsina-Ala, Benue.

11 in Niger

November 10: Gunmen killed one and kidnapped two at a university in Chanchaga, Niger State.

November 16: Bandits killed one and kidnapped 68 in Munya, Niger State.

December 9: Gunmen kill 9 worshippers, injure 6 in Niger – Police

2 in Nasarawa

November 19: Sectarian violence led to two deaths in Lafia, Nassarawa.

1 in FCT

December 10: Gunmen killed one, abduct eight in two-day siege to Abuja community

SOUTH-WEST

Five in Ondo

November 15: Herdsmen killed two in Akure North, Ondo.

November 20: Communal violence led to three deaths in Akoko North-East, Ondo.

Two in Ekiti

November 29: Bank robbers killed one police officer and one Federal Road Safety Corps marshal in Ekiti West, Ekiti.

26 in Lagos

December 5: Police confirmed the death of eight children in an abandoned Lagos vehicle

A student of Dowen College, Lagos, Sylvester Oromoni, was said to have died from injuries sustained during an alleged assault by five of his colleagues who wanted to initiate him into cultism.

December 7: At least, 14 students of Millennium Grammar School in Ojodu, Lagos, were killed when a truck crushed them.

5 in Ogun

December 4: Five killed, six injured in Ogun road accident

SOUTH-SOUTH

Four in Edo

November 15: Gunmen killed five in Ikpoba-Okha, Edo.

December 2: Maid allegedly killed Maria Igbinedion, mother of former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion.

4 in Bayelsa

November 28: Pirates killed four in Nembe LGA in Bayelsa.

3 in Delta

December 4: A teacher was beaten to death in Delta.

December 9: A Nollywood actress was shot dead in Delta

December 9: Married man hypnotized 13-yr-old girl, raped her to death in Delta.

1in Cross River

November 6: Gunmen killed a radio presenter in Calabar, Cross River.

VANGUARD NEWS NIGERIA