Security

Since Nigeria's independence, it has experienced ongoing racial, religious, and political violence. It had intermittent ethno-pastoral conflicts, mainly in the Middle Belt, a civil war from 1967 to 1970, the Maitatsine crisis in the 1980s, and militancy in the Niger Delta, a region of the country known for producing oil.

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Score Cards

3400+

deaths and displacements caused by Inter-communal violence (Est. 2021)

5000+

Abductions for ransom by bandits and other gunmen (Est. 2021)

75th

out of 141 Countries in the Global Safety Perception Index (2022)

115

Unlawful civilian Deaths by Nigerian security forces (Est 2022)

74%

of the prison population consist of detainees awaiting trial, often for years.

143rd

of 163 Countries in Global Peace Index (2022)

110th

of 137 Countries in the Global Competitiveness Index - Organised crime

123rd

of 137 Countries in the Reliability of police services

3400+

deaths and displacements caused by Inter-communal violence (Est. 2021)

5000+

Abductions for ransom by bandits and other gunmen (Est. 2021)

75th

out of 141 Countries in the Global Safety Perception Index (2022)

115

Unlawful civilian Deaths by Nigerian security forces (Est 2022)

74%

of the prison population consist of detainees awaiting trial, often for years.

143rd

of 163 Countries in Global Peace Index (2022)

110th

of 137 Countries in the Global Competitiveness Index - Organised crime

123rd

of 137 Countries in the Reliability of police services

Summary

Since Nigeria’s independence, it has experienced persistent ethnic, religious, and political violence. It had intermittent ethno-pastoral conflicts, mainly in the Middle Belt, a civil war from 1967 to 1970, the Maitatsine crisis in the 1980s, and militancy in the Niger Delta, a region of the country known for producing oil.

Over the years, Nigeria has experienced an increase in the global terrorism indexes as the 2021 Global Peace Index produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace has ranked Nigeria 146 among 163 independent nations and territories according to its level of peacefulness.

In the past decade in particular, there have been a spate of violent attacks linked to the group notoriously known as ‘Boko Haram’ in the northern part of the country where thousands of lives have been lost and extensive damage to property suffered, setting the already slow development of the region even further backwards. Furthermore, conflict between nomadic herdsmen, cattle rustlers, and farmers has most recently expanded to other parts of the country with an escalation in the spate of violent clashes resulting in several deaths with entire villages being burnt down, and animals and farmlands being destroyed.

Insecurity in Nigeria has risen sharply over the last few years. In almost every region of the country, there are two major security issues: communal clashes/civil unrest and kidnap-for-ransom (KFR). Community clashes are also increasing in areas such as Kaduna (northern Nigeria). According to SBM Intelligence, kidnappings in the country have increased. Between June 2011 and the end of March 2020, at least $18 million was paid to kidnappers as ransom.

Armed militia springs up in different parts of the country weekly. Newspapers and blogs are filled with tales of abductions. Nigeria is not a secure country any longer. It is not a surprise that the country is facing insecurity issues, and armed militia is attacking vital social infrastructure such as oil pipelines. This is a result of socioeconomic issues, poverty and the rise of ethnic and religious extremism.

Sources: SBM Intelligence, BudgIT, ITA