Northern Nigeria continues to experience the worst of the country’s insecurity, accounting for the majority of reported cases between January 2 and April 22, 2025.
The PUNCH reported that aata obtained from Beacon Consulting, a Nigerian firm specializing in security tracking, revealed that the North West, North East, and North Central regions were responsible for 79 per cent of all insecurity incidents recorded during the period.
The persistent violence in the North has been fueled by a combination of insurgencies involving Boko Haram, Islamic State of West Africa Province, armed bandits, herders-farmers clashes, and the emergence of new terrorist groups such as Lakurawa and Mahmuda.
According to the figures, the North West alone accounted for 37 per cent of the reported incidents, with 1,095 occurrences. It also recorded the highest number of casualties, with 1,642 deaths and 2,512 kidnappings.
The North East followed closely, responsible for 25 per cent of the total incidents. It witnessed 745 security breaches, resulting in 770 fatalities and 461 abductions.
Meanwhile, the North Central region contributed 17 per cent to the insecurity statistics, recording 493 incidents that led to 999 deaths and 433 kidnappings.
In sharp contrast, Nigeria’s southern regions reported significantly fewer cases. The South West accounted for 10 per cent of incidents, with 304 occurrences that left 261 people dead and 76 kidnapped.
The South South came next, making up 7 per cent of the recorded incidents with 207 cases, 155 deaths, and 47 kidnappings.
Interestingly, the South East, once heavily impacted by the activities of unknown gunmen and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), emerged with the least security challenges. The region accounted for only 4 per cent of incidents, with 129 occurrences that resulted in 186 deaths and 32 kidnappings.
Overall, Beacon Consulting’s data showed that in less than four months, 4,013 individuals were killed and 3,561 kidnapped across Nigeria.
