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Nigeria: 812 killed, 855 abducted by criminal elements in March alone— Report

Published

7 months ago

April 12, 2024

A security and intelligence consulting firm in Nigeria, Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, has released a damning report in which it says a total number of 812 persons were killed and 855 abducted in 770 security incidents across the country in the month of March alone.

The agency, which specializes in tracking and analysing crime and violent occurrences across the country, said the crime wave in the country had risen significantly between February and March, peaking with the high number of casualties recorded within the period.

In the report released in Abuja on Thursday, the intelligence group said the 770 incidents recorded indicated a 4.19 percent increase in comparison to the 739 recorded in February.

The report stated that the incidents surged with the kidnapping surged rising from 654 to 855, while fatalities also soared across the country.

It added that the increasing violence in the country were the products of terrorism, armed banditry and ethnic militia.

“In the review period, March 01 – 31, 2024, we recorded month-to-month (February 2024 – March 2024) increases across the three main metrics; incidents, fatalities, and abductions,” the survey report said.

“Below is a comparative analysis between February 2024 and March 2024.

“A breakdown of the incidents indicates an uptick in the growing frequency of violent occurrences within Nigeria in March 2024.

“A total of 770 incidents were recorded, indicating a 4.19% increase in comparison to the 739 recorded in February 2024.

“For abductions, the surge in the number of persons abducted from 654 to 855, indicating a 23.51% decrease, underscores the heightened risk faced by individuals and communities, with abduction emerging as a prevalent tactic employed by various armed groups for various purposes, including ransom, coercion, and furthering political or ideological agendas,” the intel report noted.

“For fatalities, we recorded an 8.71% month-to-month increase from 747 (February 2024) to 812 (March 2024).

“This trend further emphasises the human toll of the escalating violence, highlighting the urgent need for effective measures to protect civilian lives.

“The main factors responsible for these trends include threat elements associated with ongoing terrorism, banditry, and ethnic militia activities which underscores the complex nature of the security challenges facing Nigeria.

“Despite ongoing robust security operations recorded in the review period, these threat elements often operate with impunity, exploiting existing grievances, ethnic tensions, and socio-economic disparities to advance their objectives through violent means,” the report added.

Related Topics:#insecurity Banditry Featured Killings Nigeria Terrorism

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Ivory Coast to create $500 million green financing fund

Published

5 days ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Ivory Coast will establish a $500 million green financing fund to assist sustainable growth, the IMF said.

Africa’s 54 countries have been worst hit by climate change, although emitting less pollution than developed nations. They get only 1% of yearly global climate financing.

The African Green Banks Initiative aims to develop a $1.5 billion ecosystem of green investment facilities by 2030, including Ivory Coast’s new facility.

The Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, the Ivory Coast government, multilateral development banks, development finance organisations, and possible private sources will all contribute to the facility’s capitalisation.

The leading cocoa-growing country in the world, West Africa, has been drafting new legislation to help other green finance projects, such as a body to regulate carbon credit management.

The consequences of climate change have disproportionately affected Africa, making cyclones, floods, and droughts worse in recent years.

A 30-month, $1.3 billion loan agreement for Ivory Coast under the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility was authorised by the executive board in March.

According to the IMF, the funding agreement will help the Abidjani administration implement its pledge to lessen the negative consequences of climate change.

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1,172 Nigerians killed, over 1,000 kidnapped in nine months— NHRC

Published

1 week ago

November 14, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has put the figures of Nigerians killed and kidnapped by non-state actors from January to September 2024, at 1,172 and 1,463 respectively.

A new data released on Wednesday by the organization reveal that the month of May saw the 298 persons killed, making it the highest, while March recorded the highest number of abductions with 499 kidnappings.

These data which was presented at a workshop on the state of human rights in Nigeria by the commission and the European Union, in Abuja, attributed the rise in kidnappings, killings and child abandonment in Nigeria to the negligence and failure of the state to protect its citizens.

While presenting the data, NHRC Senior Human Rights Adviser, Hillary Ogbonna, gave a breakdown of what he described as the alarming rise in human rights abuses, including kidnappings, killings and child abandonment.

“By January 2024, we already had 150 kidnappings and 55 killings associated mainly with non-state actors. What has become the norm is the killing of law enforcement officers,” Ogbonna said.

“We started with seven policemen killed in January. From victims’ perspectives, we had quite a number of victims for human rights violations for January.”

Also speaking at the event, the NHRC Executive Secretary in Nigeria, Tony Ojukwu, said:

“In recent years, we have witnessed alarming trends and threats against those who dare to speak the truth to power.

“It serves as a stark reminder that the protection of human rights is an ongoing struggle that requires continuous vigilance, action and cooperation from all sectors of the society,” Ojukwu said.

A delegation from the EU which also made a presentation, reiterated its commitment to support Nigeria to overcome these challenges, while urging the Federal Government to work with the armed forces to end this trend.

“The European Union will continue to work around the world through diplomacy,” the Head of EU Delegation, Zissimos Vergos, said.h