A new security report has revealed that no fewer than 6,800 people were killed and over 5,400 others kidnapped across Nigeria in the first half of 2025, with Zamfara State recording the highest number of casualties.
The Nigeria Security Report, published by Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL), a private security and intelligence firm, provides a disturbing snapshot of the country’s worsening security situation.
The report covers incidents from January to June 2025, indicating an alarming rise in insecurity despite occasional improvements.
According to the report, the 6,800 fatalities represent a 13.67 per cent increase compared to the second half of 2024, and a 19.11 per cent surge when compared with the same period last year.
BSIL attributed the spike in violence to relentless attacks by non-state armed groups, including insurgents, bandits, and violent herders, particularly in the North-West, North-East, and North-Central regions.
Zamfara State was identified as the epicentre of the crisis, recording the highest number of deaths at 1,088 and leading in kidnappings with 1,755 victims.
Nationwide, a total of 5,402 people were abducted within the six-month period. Though this shows a slight 2.4 per cent drop from the previous six months, it marks a significant 30.43 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2024.
The North-Central region also witnessed a rise in violence, especially in Niger, Benue, Plateau, and Kwara states, with increasing cases of communal attacks, abductions, and raids on rural communities.
While June 2025 saw some improvements — with a 48.04 per cent drop in incidents from May and a 74.59 per cent fall in abductions — civilian fatalities remained high, accounting for over 72 per cent of deaths in that month alone.
The report further notes that farmer-herder clashes were a key driver of violence in the North-Central zone, while the North-West remained the hotspot for mass abductions, contributing 72.1 per cent of all kidnapping cases.
Between April and June (Q2 2025), fatalities rose to 3,499 from 3,301 in the previous quarter, while abductions dropped from 2,862 to 2,540.
BSIL warned that Nigeria’s security outlook remains bleak, especially in the North-Central and North-West, due to rising sophistication of criminal groups, communal tensions, poverty, and hunger.
The firm advised individuals and businesses to remain vigilant and review their security strategies as threats continue to evolve.
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