By Ben Ogbemudia
No fewer than 7,714 persons have died in violent and Boko Haram attacks, abductions, as well as acts of terrorism and gang-related clashes in the last eight months, data made available to ThisNigeria have shown.
The data was compiled by a women and civil rights group, ‘Secure Our Lives’.
Led by its national co-ordinator, Agatha Igala, the group has as its focal point, placing women at the forefront of national call for increased accountability on the security of lives and property in Nigeria.
According to the group, terrorism-inspired acts of violence claimed the figure between January and August this year.
Corroborating the figure, an affiliate member of the coalition, Human Rights Watch (HRW), also noted that insecurity in Northern Nigeria has persisted as Boko Haram and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) continue to launch attacks against civilian, humanitarian and military targets.
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HRW further reports that trial for hundreds of suspected Boko Haram insurgents slated for February 2020 in Maiduguri had been postponed until further notice, following previous delays in January and in December 2019.
Boko Haram suspects last faced trials in July 2018
“Most of the more than 200 defendants in the July 2018 trials faced charges of material and non-violent support for Boko Haram, and some had been detained since 2009.
“The trials were fraught with irregularities, including lack of interpreters, inadequate legal defence, lack of prosecutable evidence or witnesses, and non-participation of victims.”
The report added: “While many believe that the current Federal Government is only paying lip service to the issues of insecurity in the country and do not have the political will to address the situation bedevilling the nation, the government has continued to express its willingness, making promises to tackle the issues headlong.
President Buhari last week met with security chiefs to receive a report on the ongoing fight against bandits and insurgents across the country, especially in the North-West and North-Central.
He urged the service chiefs to “find tactics to solve the security challenges”, even as citizens have continued to demand more from the government which they perceive as favouring the bandits and insurgents killing and maiming all over.
Releasing some verified names of those killed due to insecurity in the country (Data from SBM intelligence and Desk Research), and with 725 security personnel killed within an eight-month period, Secure Our Lives believes, it is “time to honour the dead and unify our voices to demand that the government secure our lives” by demanding for the reform of community policing, setting up of early warning mechanisms; daily security briefing by the government; transparency and accountability on security spending, and a national response to kidnapping in the country.
