Insecurity: 310 Nigerians including 22 military & 7 police personnel killed in May

Insecurity: 310 Nigerians including 22 military & 7 police personnel killed in May

Then number of lives lost in the month of May 2019 as a result on growing insecurity is 310 with Zamfara, Borno and Katsina emerging the deadliest states, according to a report by a group, Nigeria Mourns

According to the report released on Thursday titled: ‘Global Rights Media Tracking on Mass atrocities for May 2019’, the group noted that out of these number of deaths , 22 were soldiers and seven were police personnel

The state by state breakdown of the report showed that the North Western State of Zamfara, the epicentre of banditry led with 67 fatalities.

It surpassed Borno State, the North Eastern enclave of Boko Haram terrorists which came second with 64 deaths and Katsina, another state from North West which came third with 54 deaths.

The deaths reported in the media as tracked per state are: Zamfara – 67, Kaduna – 7, Rivers – 18, Delta – 1, Lagos – 1, Cross River – 2, Ogun – 4, Adamawa – 5, Katsina – 51, Nasarawa – 1, Borno – 64, Kogi – 1, Ebonyi – 5, Taraba – 29, Plateau – 12, Anambra – 2, Abia – 1, Sokoto – 1, Edo – 12, and Jigawa – 26.

The report mentioned bandits and herdsmen the deadliest group in the month of May, killing Nigerians from Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna to Taraba States, followed by Boko Haram terrorists and its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The report said, “From Rivers state in the geopolitical South-South region of Nigeria, to Zamfara in the North-west region, the month of May saw an overwhelming increase in the degree and extent of mass killings around the country.

“Despite claims of control over insecurity by security heads and the President, several attacks from insurgents, bandits, cultists, herdsmen, amongst others, have occurred, leaving a host of casualties and the reported deaths of 310 citizens.”

“It is worrisome that the government of Nigeria has been unable to beef up its security architecture to ameliorate these recurring attacks, nor have they been able to prosecute a single person to account for these crimes.

“Even more worrisome is the fact that citizens have lost confidence in the ability of the government to safeguard the lives and property of its citizens, and as they continue to live in fear of attacks, many have taken to securing arms to protect themselves. One can only imagine the implications this has in a country that is already overrun by pockets of violence, and a surge in the proliferation of arms.

“The recurring violent incidents brings to mind several questions, among which are: why do these attacks abound despite the deployment of security personnel to troubled areas of the country? How useful are the intelligentsia of the security forces to the prevention of these mass atrocities?”

“As we reflect on the questions above, it is imperative that we continue to demand government’s responsibility to protect the lives of its citizens, and justice for the crimes perpetrated. The security of every Nigerian live must be prioritized, for security is our human right!”

END