545 killed, 269 abducted in April – Report

A new report by Global Rights has revealed that 545 people were killed and over 269 people were abducted in 104 communities across the country in April 2023.

The report added that out of a total of at least 545 people killed, 3.85% of them were security personnel, amounting to 21 deaths, which constituted 13 police officers, four military personnel, and four immigration personnel across the country in April, while the remaining 96.15% of the lives lost were civilians.

The report noted that the data on killings of security operatives shows a significant decrease from what was previously recorded in other months.

The advocacy group said in the report released Friday that the casualties recorded in April were the second-highest number of deaths recorded since the start of the year, after March.

The report said: “For the month of April 2023, our data tracking showed at least 545 people were killed, with over 269 abductions in 104 communities across the country.

Banditry, which was previously recorded in past years as the largest cause of violent deaths across the country, contributed to the highest death toll again in April with 244 deaths while herdsmen-related activities mostly in the North Central part of the country recorded 209 casualties, followed by communal clashes that constitute about 24 deaths.”

The report noted that political-related killings claimed 17 casualties, while Boko Haram/ISWAP accounted for 14 deaths.

Also, cult clashes and isolated attacks claimed 12 lives each while secessionist activities in the southeastern part of the country claimed at least eight lives.

The report further revealed that extra-judicial killings, mostly perpetrated by security personnel, caused about three deaths, the lowest recorded since the start of the year, while mob attacks resulted in two casualties.