At least, 25,794 people were killed in various attacks during the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari from May 2015 to May 2019, data from Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, has shown.
The NST, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme which documents violence in Nigeria, said the attacks were motivated by political, economic, or social grievances.
This is as troops comprising Air Force components and ground soldiers on Saturday foiled an attempt by ISWAP/BHT terrorists to establish new camps and claim territory in Borno State, and destroyed the camps, killing three terrorists and rescuing 95 hostages, including women, children and men.
The data, taken from weekly surveys of Nigerian and international media reports, noted that this state of insecurity intensified from May 29, 2011, the inauguration date of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that the event highlighted the increasing division of the country on regional and religious lines.
“The militant Islamist movement, Boko Haram, is active in Northern Nigeria. Violence among ethnic groups, farmers, and herdsmen sometimes acquires religious overtones.
“A new generation of Niger Delta militants threatens war against the state. Government soldiers kill civilians indiscriminately. Police are notorious for extrajudicial murders,” the report said.
A graphical illustration analysed by the report showed that the highest number of killings in President Buhari’s first tenure occurred in July 2015 with 1,299 deaths and January 2019 with 1,077 deaths.
It also said Boko Haram was responsible for the deaths of at least, 5,598 people in the last four years, while herdsmen and bandits caused the death of 4,068 persons.
According to the report, the police and military also reportedly killed 4,068 people.
In Birni-Kebbi, Kebbi State, some suspected bandits shot the wife of Bunza Local Council Chairman, a policeman and a member of the local vigilante at Zogirma community in Kebbi after a botched kidnap attempt.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three victims are currently at the intensive care unit of the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Birnin Kebbi receiving treatment.
Aliyu Usman, a resident of Zogirma community, told newsmen that when the bandits came into the community they shot sporadically and abducted the woman from her home.
“They went to the chairman’s house but couldn’t initially gain entrance. They shot at the door several times and when they entered they took his wife,’’ Usman said.
He said that a policeman and a member of the vigilante group went after the bandits in an attempt to rescue the woman.
“They started shooting and they shot the woman, the policeman and a member of the vigilante group in the process,’’ he said.
When NAN correspondent visited the FMC, Dr Hamzat Balarabe, the Chief Medical Director, said the centre had to quickly operate on the vigilante group member for him to survive.
“We are planning to move quickly on the woman too as she has multiple fracture and a wound at the lower part of her chest,’’ he said.
The council chairman, Alhaji Bello Zogirma, who confirmed the incident, said the suspected armed bandits invaded the community at about 1:40 a.m. on Sunday and shot sporadically to scare away residents.
“The bandits in their numbers had kidnapped my wife and a father in the family but no lives were lost during the attack.
“The kidnapped persons have regained their freedom after exchange of fire between the bandits and the police, with support from the vigilante group in the area.
“I learned that immediately after the attack, a combined operations of the Army, Police and other security operatives was launched around the bush. And it paid off as one of the suspects that sustained gunshot injuries was arrested in one of the hospitals in Kamba where he was taken for treatment by the bandits.’
“Governor Bagudu was at the hospital early to see the three people that were injured in the attack,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the freed hostages, who the terrorists used as labourers in their camps, according to the Army, in a statement by its spokesman, Col. Sagir Musa, late Sunday night, included 51 children, 42 women and two men.
Col Musa said: “In continuation of the ongoing clearance operations, tagged “Halaka Dodo” within Sector 1 Operation Lafiya Dole, the troops of 112 Task Force Battalion and 22 Brigade, in collaboration with members of Civilian Joint Task Force and Vigilante group, had on Saturday, June 22, 2019, conducted a robust clearance operation to Kobe and Boboshe villages respectively.
‘The troops discovered newly established camps at Dubula village, with some bicycles and motorcycle tracks. The camp was destroyed and one of the terrorists was neutralised while trying to escape.
“The following items were recovered: two terrorists’ flags, two copies of Quran, one generator set and two bicycles. Additionally, 13 women and 26 children were rescued during the operation.
”24 of the children rescued were administered with polio vaccines by Nigerian Army Regimental Medical Officers in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s directive on the collaboration between the Nigerian Army and National Primary Health Care Development Agency to reach out to areas not captured in the polio vaccination exercise.
“Similarly, the Acting Commanding Officer of 202 Battalion in conjunction with Civilian Joint Task Force, Vigilante and Hunters group conducted a robust offensive clearance operation to Tafana 1 and Tafana 2 villages.
“The troops came in contact with some terrorists who fled their camps on sighting the approach of the ferocious troops in Mines Resistance Anti Patrol vehicles. Troops also neutralised the fleeing terrorists. During the operation, two men, 29 women and 25 children were also rescued.
“Other items recovered include two boxes filled with Quran, two terrorists’ flags, five bicycles, five SIM cards of different networks and assorted clothing materials.
‘In all the operations and victims so far rescued, it was observed that with the coming of the rainy season, farmers are preparing for the farming season, while the terrorists are also using women and children as farm slaves (labourers) in their farmlands to meet up with daily feeding challenges due to food drought in the forest sustained by the nobly ferocious operations of Nigerian Army troops.
In a similar development, the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, has said the flurry of attacks by the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, in the last couple of weeks followed pressure mounted on them by foreign collaborators to establish a caliphate.
It, however, assured that it was working with national forces to thwart the terrorists’ effort to make the Lake Chad area a sanctuary.
“It is imperative to mention that the MNJTF is aware of the pressure on ISWAP by its foreign collaborators to deliver on the Caliphate, hence the flurry of ISWAP inspired attacks of the last couple of weeks on both military and soft targets,” MNJTF spokesman, Col. Timothy Antigha said in a statement Monday.
Antigha gave a breakdown of losses suffered by ISWAP in a recent operation at Doron Naira, in terms of equipment.
According to him, the equipment include seventeen AK 47 riffles, two GPMG, one LMG, three AA guns, two 81MM mortar one RPG tubes, two RPG7 40MM bombs with chargers, two boxes of 12.7MM ammunition and 323 RDS of 7.62MM.
Others were three hand grenades, a gas cylinders and IED making material, while the ISWAP ammunition dump was destroyed.
