Intelligence Group: Violence on the Rise, 812 Killed in March, 855 Abducted, 770 Incidents Recorded

*Cites terrorism, banditry, ethnic militia

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

A security consulting group, Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, involved in tracking and analysis of crime and violent occurrences across the country said the crime wave in the country was on the rise with 812 people killed and 855 citizens abducted while 770 incidents were recorded in the month of March.
It its latest report, Beacon Intel said a total of 770 incidents were recorded, indicating a 4.19 percent increase in comparison to the 739 recorded in February 2024.

It said the incidents of kidnapping surged within the month under review from 654 to 855.
Fatalities, the report said,  soared across the country.
It said the increasing violence in the country were the products of terrorism, armed banditry and ethnic militia.
“In the review period, March 01 – 31, 2024, we recorded month-to-month (February 2024 – March 2024) increases across the three main metrics; incidents, fatalities, and abductions.

“Below is a comparative analysis between February 2024 and March 2024.
“A breakdown of the incidents indicates an uptick in the growing frequency of violent occurrences within Nigeria in March 2024”, it said.
“A total of 770 incidents were recorded, indicating a 4.19% increase in comparison to the 739 recorded in February 2024.

“For abductions, the surge in the number of persons abducted from 654 to 855, indicating a 23.51% decrease, underscores the heightened risk faced by individuals and communities, with abduction emerging as a prevalent tactic employed by various armed groups for various purposes, including ransom, coercion, and furthering political or ideological agendas”, it said.

Beacon Intel said increasing fatalities depicted the human toll on escalating violence requiring urgent intervention.
“For fatalities, we recorded an 8.71% month-to-month increase from 747 (February 2024) to 812 (March 2024).

This trend further emphasises the human toll of the escalating violence, highlighting the urgent need for effective measures to protect civilian lives.
“The main factors responsible for these trends include threat elements associated with ongoing terrorism, banditry, and ethnic militia activities which underscores the complex nature of the security challenges facing Nigeria”, the report said.
The group lamented the spiralling violence in the country in spite of the security measures in place.

“Despite ongoing robust security operations recorded in the review period, these threat elements often operate with impunity, exploiting existing grievances, ethnic tensions, and socio-economic disparities to advance their objectives through violent means”, it said.