At least 590 Nigerians had been killed and 192 others kidnapped across the country in various insecurity incidents in April, making the month the deadliest so far in 2025.
This is contained in the HumAngle’s Security Tracker for April, which documents that Nigeria recorded 201 security incidents in the month.
The data implies that an average of 20 Nigerians had been murdered, and 7 others kidnapped daily throughout the month.
The data reveals a sharp increase from the killings that occurred in March, where 363 Nigerians were killed and 101 others kidnapped, according to the Tracker.
The data shows that the North Central region emerged as the most affected, recording 50 incidents that claimed 233 lives.
The report found that Benue and Plateau States recorded highest killings of 99 and 97 respectively largely due to the recent attacks on rural communities, often by armed non-state actors.
WikkiTimes reports that in Plateau, reprisal killings and intercommunal violence persisted, while Benue continued to suffer from violent clashes between herders and farming communities.
The North West followed closely, with 47 incidents and 130 fatalities. Zamfara and Katsina states were hotspots, not only for deadly violence but also for mass abductions. In Zamfara alone, 75 people were kidnapped in April, while Katsina accounted for 64 abductions.
Meanwhile, the North East recorded 37 incidents leading to 129 deaths, most of them in Borno State, where insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP continued to launch deadly attacks on communities.
Across the North, violence against civilians was the most common form of insecurity, accounting for over 113 incidents and 446 deaths.Â
While some incidents involved communal clashes, others reflected the continued operations of bandit groups, insurgents, and criminal gangs targeting remote communities and transport routes.
Explosive devices and remote attacks also contributed to the death toll, with eight incidents causing 42 deaths.
The data suggests that while Southern Nigeria also experienced violence, the scale and impact were far less compared to the North. Lagos recorded a high number of incidents, but fatalities remained relatively low. The South South and South East regions reported fewer incidents, with 29 and 14 deaths, respectively.
With the insecurity continuing to escalate, particularly in the North, the implications for food security, education, and rural livelihoods are becoming more dire.
The rise in abductions, mass killings, and unchecked rural violence deepens the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Dr. Kabiru Adamu, a security expert and CEO of Beacon Consulting, previously told WikkiTimes that the protracted insecurity in Northern Nigeria is largely driven by governance failures, weak intelligence coordination, and a lack of political will to address the root cause.Â
He noted that criminal networks and non-state actors have filled the vacuum left by an ineffective security architecture, especially in rural areas where state presence is limited.
“The ability of security institutions to respond rapidly is compromised by poor infrastructure, limited logistics support, and at times political interference,” he said, stressing that without a coordinated, intelligence-led approach, violent actors will continue to thrive.
