91,740 Nigerians lost to insecurity in 13 years – Report

A new report released by Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), a non-governmental organisation, has revealed that at least 91,740 Nigerians lost their lives to insecurity between 2011 and 2024.

The study, conducted under the Illuminating New Solutions and Programmatic Innovations for Resilient Spaces (INSPIRES) project also linked the rising insecurity in the country to a shrinking civic space, with protests, press freedom, and public assembly facing increasing restrictions.

Presenting the report at a high-level multi-stakeholder policy dialogue organized by KDI in collaboration with Dataphyte and Spaces for Change, on Friday in Abuja, KDI Head of Research and Strategy, Oluwafemi Adebayo, observed that insecurity has surged due to governance failures, economic disparities, and historical ethnic tensions.

According to the report, in 2014 alone, 14,470 deaths were recorded majorly driven by Boko Haram insurgency and communal clashes.

The study analysed 14,779 security incidents, noting that 8.1 per cent directly impacted civic freedoms, including crackdowns on protests and censorship.

From 2020 to 2022, the report noted that civic space restrictions peaked, with 440 cases recorded in 2021, largely due to government crackdowns after the #EndSARS protests.

The report said: “Between 2011 and 2024, Nigeria recorded 14,779 incidents of insecurity, with a staggering 91,740 deaths. The peak year for fatalities was 2014, when 14,470 people lost their lives, largely due to Boko Haram’s insurgency and increased communal clashes.

“The persistent insecurity across Nigeria has not only resulted in the tragic loss of lives but has also deepened the restrictions on civic space, manifesting in widespread crackdowns on protests, media censorship, and legal constraints on political expression.

“Analysing the evolving nature of these restrictions reveals a troubling pattern: In states with unabated conflict and prominent urban centres, the constriction of civic freedoms has intensified alongside the rise in violence.

“Between 2020 and 2024, at least 1,196 security incidents—accounting for 8.1 per cent of all documented cases- directly impacted civic space. The data highlights a clear geographic pattern, with civic space issues being particularly pronounced in states that are either conflict-ridden or serve as hubs of political and economic activity.

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The report warned that if current trends continue, civic space violations could reach 1,846 cases by 2029.

It also named Borno, Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue, and Plateau, as Nigeria’s most insecure states while Jigawa, Ekiti, Osun, Abia, and Kwara were ranked as the safest.

“Based on the ranking done with over 13 years of Nigerian security data, Jigawa, Ekiti, Osun, Abia, and Kwara emerge as Nigeria’s safest states, showing significantly lower security risks relative to other states.

“These states exhibit greater stability and fewer disruptive security threats, making them less prone to the widespread violence affecting other parts of the country”, it added.

The research further revealed that conflict-ridden states also experience the highest civic space restrictions, with Kaduna ranking worst in this category.

Addressing journalists after presentation of the report, Adebayo argued that while national security is a priority, efforts to protect lives and property should not come at the cost of civic freedoms.

He noted that for over 90,000 Nigerians to have lost their lives due to insecurity in 13 years, the number demands urgent attention from policymakers to address the deep-rooted causes of violence rather than just reacting to its symptoms.

He urged the government to adopt citizen-centered security policies that address the root causes of unrest.

Founder of Dataphyte Foundation, Joshua Olufemi, maintained that suppression of civic freedoms in Nigeria manifests in multiple ways, including lawsuits, arrests, and imprisonment.

According to him, a troubling trend where many people are detained without warrants, and the government offers little to no accountability for these actions is worrisome.

He said: “But beyond that is also how government or other non-state actors as well are determining what is fact and what is misinformation or what is fueled or financed by terrorism or every other foreign actors.

“We think that the lines are becoming blurred and all of them are defined and determined by the government. These are ways that the government and I think the civic space are determining the ravaging suppression on the civic space.

“First, we’ve always known that the instrument of democracy is driven by dialogue. The more government, civil society organizations, citizens and all other actors can always deliberate about a way forward, the better or the more effective it can become.”