Daud Olatunji
No fewer than 4,013 individuals were killed while 3,561 others were kidnapped across Nigeria between January 2 and April 22, 2025, a new report by Beacon Consulting has revealed.
The firm, which tracks insecurity trends across the country, said Northern Nigeria continues to bear the heaviest burden, accounting for 79 per cent of all reported incidents during the period under review.
According to the data, the North West was the epicentre of the violence, responsible for 37 per cent of the total incidents, with 1,095 recorded attacks. The region also witnessed the highest number of casualties, with 1,642 people killed and 2,512 abducted.
The North East followed, accounting for 25 per cent of the incidents with 745 occurrences, resulting in 770 deaths and 461 kidnappings. In the North Central region, 493 attacks were recorded, leading to 999 deaths and 433 kidnappings.
The widespread violence in the northern part of the country has been largely attributed to the activities of Boko Haram, Islamic State of West Africa Province, bandits, herders-farmers clashes, and more recently, the Lakurawa and Mahmuda terrorist groups.
In contrast, the southern regions recorded significantly fewer incidents. The South West accounted for 10 per cent of the total, with 304 incidents, 261 deaths, and 76 kidnappings. The South South recorded 7 per cent with 207 attacks, resulting in 155 deaths and 47 kidnappings.
The South East, which in recent years grappled with violent activities linked to unknown gunmen and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, emerged as the region with the least number of insecurity incidents.
Within the four-month period, the region recorded 129 occurrences, 186 deaths, and 32 kidnappings — accounting for just 4 per cent of the national total.
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