The government must show serious commitment to children’s security by tackling the rising problem of insecurity ravaging the country.
Due to growing insecurity, Nigeria is gradually becoming one of the most dangerous places to live. The 2020 Global Terrorism Index identified the country as the third most affected by terrorism.
There was a sharp increase in Boko Haram’s targeting of civilians by 25 per cent, and killings by herdsmen increased by 26 per cent, compared with the previous year. The two countries higher on the index are Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the Nigeria Security Tracker, 2,769 violent deaths were recorded between February 2020 and February 2021 in Borno State alone. Similarly, ransom-kidnapping by armed groups has increased substantially in the past five years. Over $18 million was paid as ransom for kidnapped victims between 2011 and 2020.
Due to growing insecurity, Nigeria is gradually becoming one of the most dangerous places to live. The 2020 Global Terrorism Index identified the country as the third most affected by terrorism. There was a sharp increase in Boko Haram’s targeting of civilians by 25%, and killings by herdsmen increased by 26%, compared with the previous year. The two countries higher on the index are Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the Nigeria Security Tracker, 2,769 violent deaths were recorded between February 2020 and February 2021 in Borno State alone. Similarly, ransom-kidnapping by armed groups has increased substantially in the past five years. Over $18 million was paid as ransom for kidnapped victims between 2011 and 2020.
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ZAMFARA: How 345 lives were wasted, 468 kidnapped in six months
On
By Clifford Ndujihe
IN the last six months, Zamfara State has remained a beehive of killings and kidnappings on account of banditry and war against the bandits by the security agencies.
Vanguard’s tally and data obtained from the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme, showed that no fewer than 345 persons were killed in the state between September 2020 and February 2021. Within the period, no fewer than 468 persons including women, children and school girls were abducted by the bandits.
On the average, this indicates that Zamfara records 58 deaths and 78 abducted monthly.