By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – A report released by a Civil Society Organization Kimpact Development Initiative, KDI, indicated that over 91,000 Nigerians died following insecurity challenges across the country in 13 years.

The report presented by Head of Research and Strategy, KDI, Oluwafemi Adebayo, at a ‘Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue on the Effect of Insecurity on the Civic Space’, organized by KDI in collaboration with Dataphyte and Spaces for Change observed that insecurity has gotten to precipitating levels that had adversely affected the socioeconomic lives of citizens

Meanwhile, the report showed that in 2014, Nigeria recorded 14,470 deaths, and mainly traced to activities of Boko Haram including some communal clashes captured at the period.

The report indicated that 14,779 there were security incidents, which 8.1 per cent had direct impact on civic freedoms; crackdowns on protests and censorship while between 2020 and 2022, there were restrictions on the Nigerian civic space recording 440 cases in 2021alone, which was seen to be at the peak as it also pointed to government crackdowns after the #EndSARS protests across the country.

He (Adebayo) noted that as it stands today insecurity still continues even from the prediction in the report, which says that these issues will continue even to 2029.

However, he appealed to the government to put in place a human and citizen centered approach to security issues.

The report read in part: “Between 2011 and 2024, Nigeria recorded 14,779 incidents of insecurity, with a staggering 91,740 deaths. The peak year for fatalities was 2014, when 14,470 people lost their lives, largely due to Boko Haram’s insurgency and increased communal clashes.

“The persistent insecurity across Nigeria has not only resulted in the tragic loss of lives but has also deepened the restrictions on civic space, manifesting in widespread crackdowns on protests, media censorship, and legal constraints on political expression.

“Analysing the evolving nature of these restrictions reveals a troubling pattern: In states with unabated conflict and prominent urban centres, the constriction of civic freedoms has intensified alongside the rise in violence.

“Between 2020 and 2024, at least 1,196 security incidents—accounting for 8.1 per cent of all documented cases- directly impacted civic space. The data highlights a clear geographic pattern, with civic space issues being particularly pronounced in states that are either conflict-ridden or serve as hubs of political and economic activity.”

However, the report mentioned some States in Nigeria as most safest in the last 13 years including Jigawa, Ekiti, Osun, Abia, and Kwara while Borno, Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue, and Plateau, as Nigeria’s most insecure States.

The Founder, Dataphyte Foundation, Joshua Olufemi, decried suppression of civic freedoms in Nigeria.

“But beyond that is also how government or other non-state actors as well are determining what is fact and what is misinformation or what is fueled or financed by terrorism or every other foreign actors.

“We think that the lines are becoming blurred and all of them are defined and determined by the government. These are ways that the government and I think the civic space are determining the ravaging suppression on the civic space.

“First, we have always known that the instrument of democracy is driven by dialogue. The more government, civil society organizations, citizens and all other actors can always deliberate about a way forward, the better or the more effective it can become.”