Over 55,000 Nigerians Killed, 21,000 Abducted In Four Years Amid Escalating Violence – Report

An investigation has revealed that over a four-year period, Nigeria has witnessed the tragic deaths of 55,910 individuals and the abduction of 21,621 others across 9,970 violent incidents.

The findings, released by The Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), shed light on the severity of the security challenges facing the nation, particularly the targeting of religious communities.

The report covers the period from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2023, and provides a detailed analysis of the violence, highlighting that Nigerian citizens have been frequently targeted by insurgent groups, with minimal intervention from security forces, who are often occupied with distant military operations.

The ORFA documented a total of 11,610 distinct attacks, with 8,905 involving killings without abductions, 1,065 involving both, and 1,640 abductions without killings.

This amounts to an average of eight attacks per day involving deaths or kidnappings over the four-year span.

The report further detailed that 30,880 civilians were killed in 6,942 attacks, while the remaining 25,030 fatalities involved members of security forces and terrorist groups.

Additionally, 21,532 civilians were abducted in 2,670 incidents, with another 89 abductions involving security personnel or terrorists.

The violence has had a profound impact on civilian life, with communities living in constant fear and insecurity.

“Many civilians lived in high levels of insecurity and fear of the unexpected. For instance, eye witnesses talked about children sleeping in trees at night. In total 30,880 civilians were killed in 6,942 attacks. The remaining 25,030 people killed were members of the Security Forces or Terror Groups. Additionally, 21,532 civilians were abducted in 2,670 attacks. Another 89 people abducted were members of the Security Forces or Terror Groups.

“There were frequent clashes between Security Forces and Terror Groups and between Terror Groups themselves. This had impact on civilians too. In 3,028 attacks (out of the 9,970 attacks with killings) only non-civilians were killed: 4,377 were members of the Security Forces and 19,323 members of Terror Groups. In 35 attacks (out of the 2,705 attacks with abductions) only non-civilians were abducted: 68 belonging to the Security Forces and 2 to Terror Groups,” the report noted.

The data showed that religious communities have been disproportionately affected, with more Christians than Muslims being victims. Of the 30,880 civilians killed, 16,769 were Christians and 6,235 were Muslims.

Similarly, 11,185 Christians and 7,899 Muslims were among the 21,532 civilians abducted. The report also noted that the ratio of Christians to Muslims killed and abducted significantly increases when considering the religious composition of the affected states.

The ORFA’s report emphasized that only a small fraction of these killings were carried out by ISIS or al-Qaeda affiliates, with the majority being perpetrated by the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM), a lesser-known but highly active terrorist group.

This group has been responsible for numerous mass killings and abductions, particularly in Nigeria’s North Central Zone and Southern Kaduna.

The details of the mass killings which were made public in a statement on Thursday further read, “Mass killings, abductions and torture of whole families go largely unchallenged as military pursue targets hundreds of miles away, finds four-year data project

“Islamist extremists enjoy relative freedom to carry out atrocities against civilians in large regions of Nigeria, according to data scientists behind a four-year study.

“Researchers at the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa recorded over 55,000 killings and mapped thousands of farm massacres and mass abductions in a four-year period, including in Nigeria’s fragile North Central Zone and Southern Kaduna.

“A little-known terror group, the Fulani Ethnic Militia or FEM, commit mass killings hundreds of times a year through this region.”