The violence of the “bandits” in Nigeria leaves at least 564 dead and 3,400 kidnapped in twelve months

The northwest of the country emerges once again as the most conflictive region, with the state of Kaduna in the lead

Aug. 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Nigerian armed groups specialized in kidnapping and looting, commonly called “bandits” in the country, have caused 564 deaths and 3,420 kidnappings between July 2021 and June 2022 in at least 500 attacks and kidnappings throughout the territory, according to a report published this weekend by the SBM Intelligence group and collected by the national newspaper ‘Premium Times’.

The report reflects one more aspect of the violence that has plagued the country for years. Another estimate published last month by the local government of the state of Kaduna, one of the most violent in the country, denounced at least 645 deaths during the first six months of this year, not only due to the action of “bandits”, but also by attacks by jihadist groups or intercommunity clashes.

The report also contains approximate figures of the ransoms collected by the “bandits”: during the negotiations they have asked for a cumulative total of about 10 million euros, only to receive an approximate total of 1.2 million for the release of the captives, a “significant” amount, according to SBM, considering that the Nigerian population lives on approximately two euros a day.

The northwest of the country, led by Kaduna, is the region most affected by bandit activity, with a total of 177 incidents, or 35.4 percent of the total. In Kaduna alone, 84 cases were recorded, the highest number of incidents recorded in any state in the region, for a total of approximately 1,119 kidnappings.

Another official report presented in May by the state governor, Nasir el Rufai, considerably raises those estimates to 1,389 people kidnapped during the first three months of the year alone, although here it included the activity of jihadist groups such as Boko Haram.

Going back to the SBM report, Zamfara state had the second highest number of kidnapping cases, with 836 people allegedly kidnapped in the state.

The Northwest region also recorded the highest number of deaths from bandit activity with 331 fatalities, or 69.8 percent of the total number of 474 deaths for the year.