.Benue, Plateau, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara record highest number of deaths
.DSS, military repel bandits’ attack in Niger, kill scores
.Troops arrest 18 soldiers, 15 police officers for ‘selling arms to terrorists, criminals’
Amnesty International has raised the alarm over what it described as the Nigerian government’s failure to protect citizens from relentless attacks by armed groups and bandits, revealing that at least 10,217 people have been killed and 672 villages sacked in the past two years.
In a new report released on Wednesday, the human rights organisation said Benue State recorded the highest number of deaths with 6,896 people killed, followed by Plateau State with 2,630 deaths.
Other heavily affected states include Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
“A new investigation shows that, in the two years since the current government has been in power; at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen in Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara States.
“Benue State accounts for the highest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau State, where 2,630 people were killed.
“Since 29 May 2023, hundreds of people have been killed in rural areas where, our research since 2020 shows, a total absence of governance has given gunmen and criminal groups a free hand to commit atrocities.
“Our investigation verified the killing of over 294 people in Katsina State and documented the abduction of 306 people, mostly women and girls, between May 2023 and May 2025.” the report partly read.
In Zamfara, AI said no fewer than 529 villages are under the country of bandits.
“In Zamfara State, attacks have occurred daily, with multiple attacks sometimes taking place in a single day. In the last two years, over 273 people have been killed and 467 people abducted. Since the beginning of the bloody security crisis, bandits have sacked 481 villages while 529 villages are under the control of bandits, across 13 local governments of Zamfara State,” It stated.
“In Plateau State, armed herders carried out 38 attacks. Bandits have sacked at least 43 villages in four local government areas. Between 27 March and 2 April 2025,” the report added.
The Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, lamented that insecurity has been on the rise since the president took over.
He said, “Today marks exactly two years since President Bola Tinubu assumed office with a promise to enhance security. Instead, things have only gotten worse.
“The authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country.”
The organisation, however, warned of looming humanitarian crises as a result of the rising insecurity.
“The majority, if not all of those affected by these attacks, are farmers, whose displacement means they can no longer cultivate their farms. This is causing a looming humanitarian crisis.
“The majority of those displaced in Plateau and Katsina States told Amnesty International that they had to resort to begging to survive daily life.
At Dangulbi district of Zamfara State, farmers have to watch their harvest of sweet potatoes rot because bandits have prevented them from transporting them to the nearest market,” the report added.
Gunmen abduct monarch in Nasarawa community
Gunmen have reportedly abducted the traditional ruler of Dari chiefdom in the Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
It was gathered that some AK 47 wielding gunmen stormed the residence of the Sangarin Dari, Emmanuel Omanji, at the wee hours on Wednesday and shot sporadically for several minutes during which they abducted him without any challenge from security operatives or the locals.
Witness account said that the gunmen in their numbers invaded the monarch’s residence when everyone had gone to bed and took the monarch away.
The witness account said no help came from the locals due to the heavy sound of gunshots during the time of the incident as they were scared of being hit by bullets.
He said that by the time the sound of the booming guns went off, they discovered that the traditional ruler was nowhere to be found.
The witness added that the incident has thrown the community into confusion.
DSS, military repel bandits’ attack in Niger, kill scores
Meanwhile, operatives of the Department of State Services in a joint operation with troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria have resulted in the elimination of scores of heavily armed bandits believed to be loyal to terrorist kingpins Dogo Gide and Leyi.
Top security sources revealed that the operation began on Tuesday when the terrorists stormed Chibani village in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.
They further revealed that the bandits reportedly killed one Ayuba Isah and left two other persons, a policeman and Alhaji Shuaibu, with gunshot wounds.
According to the sources, “On Wednesday, bandits said to be numbering over 200, brandishing sophisticated weapons, stormed a security base in Kuchi, a town in Munya LGA. The fierce gun battle that ensued led to the neutralisation of scores of the bandits, with many others fleeing with various degrees of injury.”
They said that reinforcement from Galadima Kogo to Kuchi was a major factor that helped weaken the bandits.
Another security source reported seeing large herds of cattle, believed to have been rustled, crossing the Kusasu River in Galadima Kogo District, Shiroro LGA, advancing towards a place believed to be their hideout in Borisudna/Kwaki axis in the same Shiroro.
He said DSS operatives and soldiers of the Nigerian Army in the area contacted the Nigerian Air Force for aerial support and expressed optimism that the Air Force would be able to smoke out the fleeing bandits.
Troops arrest 18 soldiers, 15 police officers for ‘selling arms to criminals’
Also, troops of operation Hadin Kai have arrested 18 serving soldiers and 15 police officers for allegedly selling arms to terrorists and other criminal elements.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday about the activities of troops in the North East, Ademola Owolana, a Major, said operation snowball, an exercise launched in August 2024 to target ammunition racketeering in the theatre, has recorded successes.
Owolana said the exercise was conducted across 11 states, with suspects arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said eight civilians and one traditional ruler were also arrested over alleged arms racketeering.
“So far, a total of 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and eight civilians, including a traditional ruler, have been arrested,” he said.
Owolana said the “lucrative” nature of arms racketeering is the driving force behind the illegal activity.
He noted that Ameh Raphael, an armourer of the 7th Division Garrison, who has been engaging in the act since 2018, had N45 million in his bank account.
He added that Seidi Adamu of the 3rd Division Ordnance Services, who has also been in the trade since 2022, had N34 million in his bank account.
He said the investigation revealed that N135 million passed through the bank account of Enoch Ngwa, a Police Inspector, arrested for arms racketeering.
He accused some non-governmental organisations of conveying additives and food items to terrorist locations under the guise of humanitarian assistance.
“Additionally, a few soldiers motivated by greed are involved in ammunition racketeering, deliberately diverting arms from the military stockpiles and supply chains to terrorists.
“Such actions erode battlefield morale, reduce troops’ effectiveness, and strengthen enemy resistance.
“The most recent incident occurred on 24th February this year when a soldier of 144 Battalion was arrested with 30 rounds of 7.62mm specials at Tashin-Karo Kano by a military police K-19 on route search operations.
“Consequently, the theatre has continued to warn troops at all levels of the severe repercussions and sanctions of ammunition racketeering.
“Those found culpable have been dismissed and handed over to the police to serve as a deterrent,” he said.