At first, it seemed like ‘their’ problem. However, the last few years have shown that ‘their’ problem has become everybody’s. With a nation constantly facing onslaughts from terrorists and a Commander-in-Chief with knack for expressing condolences and ‘shock’, the Nigerian economy is taking a serious beating on all sides with dire consequences for the future.
Apart from the destruction of life and property, the economy continues to suffer as rising insecurity dents the appetite to invest in the country.
The dynamism of Nigeria’s insecurity has gone beyond containment to certain areas. The pattern of the terrorists’ onslaught bears the signature of high-level connivance with those who are supposed to protect the people.
Thousands of Nigerians are abducted each year by heavily armed bandits, and dozens of children in the North East are kidnapped from schools for ransom. According to SBM intelligence, in the first six months of 2021, 2,371 (FY 2020: 2,860) Nigerians were reportedly kidnapped while 10,366 (2020: 7,063) Nigerians were killed in 2021.
This year alone, at least 7,222 Nigerians have been killed and 3,823 abducted as the country witnessed 2, 840 incidents of insecurity between January 1 and July 29, 2022.
Also, no fewer than 1,499 people were injured during the various attacks witnessed in 505 local government areas in the country. These were contained in data obtained from the Nigeria Security Incidents Tracker by Beacon Consulting.
A breakdown, according to geopolitical zones, revealed that the North East recorded 777 incidents in which 2,052 individuals were killed and 344 kidnapped. In the North West, 519 incidents occurred in the region, leading to the death of 2,229 individuals while 1,989 were abducted
