Despite repeated assurances from President Muhammadu Buhari and the security chiefs, many Nigerians are at the mercy of bandits, terrorists and other criminals who are ravaging many parts of the country.
According to the 2022 third quarter (Q3) media reported killings data published by SBM Intelligence on November 1, a total of 1,718 deaths were reported in 3 months, that is, between July to September.
Although the reported deaths in Q3 declined when compared to the 1,833 recorded in the previous quarter, the government needs to do more to ensure the safety of Nigerians, a security expert opines.
The primary function of the government, as clearly stated in Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended), is the security and welfare of the people. But for many Nigerians, that is not the reality, and thus cannot boldly boast that the government is living up to its primary responsibility, especially with the high number of citizens whose lives are cut short as a result of insecurity in the country.
The Q3 2022 media reported killing data released on November 1, shows that 1,718 deaths occurred in the third quarter. The quarterly media reported data only include deaths resulting from Boko Haram attacks, bandits, militia herdsmen, abduction and gang clashes.
Of the total 1,718 deaths reported in Q3, civilians accounted for 529, while security personnel killed within the quarter were 72. The number of vigilantes who lost their lives in the quarter under review was 22. Non-state actors such as terrorists, Boko Haram, Kidnappers, members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), etc., accounted for the remaining figures.
In the previous quarter, 1,154 civilians and 71 security personnel were killed, respectively. While the drop in the number of civilians killed in Q3 may indicate some improvement in the country’s security situation, the numbers are nevertheless still high and show the failure of the government to protect its citizens.
A breakdown of the media-reported deaths by state shows that the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), except for Akwa-Ibom, recorded at least an incident of killing in the quarter under review.
Just like the previous quarter, Borno state still tops the chart as the state with the most reported media killing in Q3. A total of 466 persons were killed in the state. Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Plateau followed as the top states that recorded the highest killings in Q3. Kebbi, Ekiti, Ondo, Kano, Nassarawa, and Bayelsa were the least affected states. They recorded less than 5 cases each.
By region, North-East accounted for the highest number of reported killings, followed by the North-West and North-Central. In the previous quarters this year, the 3 regions have recorded the worst killings. The reason is not exactly farfetched as they are the most hit regions by Boko-Haram, bandits, and terrorists in the last decade, particularly the North-East.
In the Southern part of the country, the South-East recorded the highest number of killings in the third quarter. The increases in the number of media-reported killings in the South-East in recent times may not be unconnected to the heightened activities of the IPOB in the region.
A security expert, Timothy Avele, who spoke to Dataphyte, noted that the security situation has improved a bit largely due to the implementation of the new strategies, especially in intelligence applications.
He stated that the decrease in the number of killings reported in the third quarter, particularly civilians, must be sustained, and security personnel should be well-equipped to tackle and put an end to the security challenges.
He also stressed that security personnel should not relent on the successes recorded, especially as shown in the increase in the number of terrorists and Boko Haram killed. He concluded by charging the government to be more proactive and embark on continuous intelligence operations, especially as the 2023 election approaches.
He also stressed the need for more trained intelligence analyst personnel in Nigerian security architecture.
“Currently, all the security and Intelligence agencies, including the military, are lacking in well-trained intelligence analyst personnel, combined, they are less than 1000 intelligence analysts. The standard is 10 intelligence analysts to 100 officers. Nigeria will need to improve in this regard because without intelligence analyst, what you can get is intelligence information and not intelligence”, Avele stated.