•Loses 29 persons daily on average

By Clifford Ndujihe, Politics Editor

AFTER weathering the storms of insecurity and socio-economic challenges of 2023, death is the last thing on the minds of most people, who crossed over to January 2024.

However, less than 10 days into the New Year, the Nigerian polity is littered with a deluge of untimely deaths and aborted dreams. No fewer than 207 people had their lives violently terminated, according to Saturday Vanguard’s checks.

A deadly combination of violence, natural disasters, accidents on roads, water, and at homes, activities of Boko Haram terrorists, bandits, gunmen, armed robbers, cultists and the war against criminality by the security agencies has created many killing fields across Nigeria in the last 9 days.

The figure means that on average, 29 persons are killed every day, and if the trend continues Nigeria may lose 899 persons by January 31.

The deaths seem to be a continuation of what has been happening in the last seven years.

In the first 19 days of 2023, Nigeria lost 508 citizens to violence, accidents and others. In 2022, the figure was 217 lives in six days. Year 2021 recorded 120 deaths in seven days.

These figures are conservative and based on reported cases. They could be more as many cases are reported or under-reported. However, some of those killed were terrorists, bandits and armed robbers.

The records of the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations Africa programme, which documented and mapped violence in Nigeria motivated by political, economic or social grievances showed that 2019 had the most deaths in January since 2017. The deaths excluded those arising from accidents, inferno and natural disasters.

NST’s January record
of deaths since 2017
2017 – 592 deaths
2018 – 571 deaths
2019 – 1,077 deaths
2020 – 754 deaths
2021 – 976 deaths
2022 – 996 deaths
2023 – 543 deaths

Timeline of killings, violent deaths in January 2024

*January 1: Police killed three members of a gang of gunmen, who three day earlier, killed two police officers at Uga, Aguata LGA of Anambra. They were neutralised during a raid on their camp at Ogboji, orumba South LGA of the state

*January 1 Boko Haram insurgents invaded two Chibok communities, killed 14 persons and abducted one lady.
*January 1: Two persons lost their lives while three sustained injuries in an accident at Isara Remo, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State.

*January 2: Boko Haram insurgents killed two locals at Dure/Wala communities in Gwoza, Borno State.

*January 2: Four persons were killed at a supermarket in Karu LGA of Nasarawa State following a raid by gunmen.
*January 2: Nigeria military eliminated the leader of the Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, Baá Shuwa and scores of his fighters estimated at 20 during an offensive Kwatan Dilla in Abadam LGA of Borno state.
*January 2: 11 passengers died in an auto crash at Ayere in Moro LGA of Kwara State.

*January 2: 6 persons died and 11 were injured in an auto crash at Aliko Filling Station on the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway, Kadua State.

*January 2: Cultists invaded Ikem community in Etche LGA of Rivers State, shot six people and two died.
January 2: One person was killed and two others injured when a bus rammed into some youths in Ikare-Akoko area of Ondo State during New Year celebration.

*January 2: 2 suspected kidnappers were shot dead by the Police in Delta State at a bush in Ekakoamne, Ughelli South LGA

*January 3: No fewer than 3 persons, all females, died in multiple auto crashes on Ijebu-Ode Road in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

*January 3: 19 people were killed in an accident at Sabon Wuse along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway

*January 3: A father of three, Irete Ehikioya, died in an accident with his body burnt beyond recognition when the Sienna car he drove ran into a heap of refuse on the road at Ukhum Kingdom in Esan West LGA of Edo State.

*January 3: A man hacked his friend to death at Badariya, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State over a misunderstanding.

*January 5: No fewer than 17 locals were killed and 38 abducted when bandits attacked Kunkurai, Dokan Karji and Angwan Sako communities in Kajuru LGA of Kaduna State.

*January 5: Suspected insurgents killed 14 people including a pastor in a rampage that began in a nightclub and proceeded into the surrounding neighborhood in Yobe State. The gunmen reportedly got to the Kwari community around 12:00 a.m at a nightclub and started to shoot sporadically, killing seven people there. The armed men then went on to burn several houses and vehicles, killing five more people. Another two people were killed following an explosion. One of the people killed was the local pastor of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, COCIN, who was shot dead while he tried to escape.

• January 6: Nigerian Air Force, NAF strikes neutralised 12 Boko Haram terrorists at Tumbuns in Borno

*January 7: Boko Haram terrorists killed six persons in Gajiram, Borno State

*January 8: Unknown gunmen killed Chief Abidun Folarin, a member of the Akarigbo-in-Council at Itunsokun, Sagamu, Ogun state.

*January 8: Suspected armed herdsmen attacked Arufu, Mchia and Chembe communities of Logo LGA of Benue State and killed eight persons. Many people were declared missing

*January 8: 10 persons reportedly lost their lives in an auto accident along Olooru-Oko-Olowo highway in Moro LGA of Kwara State.

*January 8: A fire outbreak at an illegal used engine oil refinery killed one person at Naibawa, Kano.

*January 8: 8 people died in a boat mishap at Umumu Anam in Anambra West LGA of Anambra State.

*January 8: A truck driver died on Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos when he got trapped in a multiple collision involving two other trucks, while his assistant narrowly escaped unhurt.

*January 8: A 36-year-old man, Aminu Sulaiman, died after a trailer exploded at Kwotago Western bye pass in Kumbotso LGA of Kano State.

*January 8: A two-year old girl was electrocuted after touching an exposed electric cable in Langbasa, Lagos
*January 9: 2 students of Akwa State Polytechnic were crushed to death by a vehicle a few metres from the school at Ikot-Ekpene, two days to their graduation

*January 9: Troops in offensive operations in Bama, Gwoza and Gamboru LGAs of Borno State killed 6 terrorists, rescued 40 kidnapped hostages and recovered many weapons.

*January 9: No fewer than 10 persons were killed and many others sustained varying degrees of injury when two commercial vehicles ran on landmines along Ngala-Dikwa road in Ngala LGA of Borno State near the border with Cameroon Republic.

*January 9: Police operatives in Benue State gunned down five suspects who participated in a deadly bank robbery in Otukpo, recently. During a gun battle at the criminal’s hideout in Taraku village, Buruku LGA of the state, the police operatives arrested four suspects, who also participated in the robbery, and recovered nine AK-47 rifles

*January 9: No fewer than 20 persons including infants were reportedly killed when two wooden boats capsized after being struck by heavy waves in Andoni, Rivers State.

• Between January 3 and 9: 86 terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers were neutralised by troops across the country according to Director of Defence Media Operations, major General Edward Buba. 20 of the terrorists were killed in the North-East; and 56 were gunned down in the North-West.