Insecurity: Over 255 Killed, 258 Abducted In January – Civic Media Lab

The Civic Media Lab, on Monday, disclosed that not less than 255 Nigerians were killed in January of this year following security issues in the country.

The organisation further stated that 258 Nigerians were abducted in the first month of the year while about 47 persons were injured in the violence.

The victims of insecurity across the nation were killed by different armed groups, such as Boko Haram, Fulani killer herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers and others.

Recall that the Western Nigerian Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, was also accused by citizens of killing innocent Nigerians.

There were speculations that the security outfit in Oyo State killed not less than eleven people in the state last month.

However, most of the lives lost during attacks were linked to bandits which are now widely reported on than the dreaded Boko Haram.

It was gathered that Boko Haram killed about ten persons and abducted 61 others in January, but bandits killed nearly 141, injured 40 and kidnapped 161 persons.

The bandits’ attacks took place in Kaduna, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba and Zamfara states. In Kaduna State, 57 persons were killed while 31 were kidnapped.

In Zamfara State, 57 people lost their lives while 18 persons were abducted, victims. Other states, such as Katsina, Nasarawa and Niger states recorded more than six violent deaths.

Again, 87 persons were kidnapped in Niger while 25 in Taraba were also abducted. In some other states, communal clashes caused 14 deaths. About ten persons were killed in Akwa Ibom and four others were abducted in the state.

In Lagos, Delta, and Abia states, cults and hoodlums caused 23 deaths, with 21 deaths coming from Lagos alone.

In January, other instances of violent deaths included 12 persons who were killed by unidentified gunmen in Delta, six in Rivers, five in Kaduna, four in Oyo, three in Ebonyi, two in Plateau, and one in each in Nasarawa and Taraba.

Gunmen also abducted 20 persons in Nasarawa, 10 in Abuja, three in Rivers, two in Delta, and one in Edo and Oyo states.

Herdsmen murdered two persons in Benue and one other person in Delta. They also kidnapped four people in Delta.