The security outfits established by many states of the federation to curtail the security challenges therein have not achieved the purpose of creating them, Daily Trust on Sunday can report.
Between 2013 and this year, no fewer than 23 states had unveiled their security outfits. Sone zones had also come together to form security outfits to combat the security challenges in their areas.
There are, however, concerns that despite the establishment of those security outfits, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, vandalism and other crimes are still on the rise.
The Senate had, in January this year, summoned security chiefs over the rising cases of killings, kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other criminal activities across the country.
During the launch of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Peace and Inclusive Security Initiative (PISI) in Abuja in 2021, the NGF stated that between May 2011 and February 2021, over 76,000 deaths were reported in the country.
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The then NGF’s chairman, who was the governor of Ekiti State at that time, Kayode Fayemi, blamed the situation on proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
A 2023 Nigeria Security Report by Beacon Consulting, a security risk management and intelligence consulting company, also revealed that 78,148 Nigerians were killed across the nation from 2014 to 2023.
The report indicated that 11,389 Nigerians were killed in 2014; 11,119 in 2015; 4,896 in 2016; 4,949 in 2017; 6,162 in 2018; 5,948 in 2019; 8,459 in 2020; 10,887 in 2021; 10,754 in 2022; and 3,585 in 2023.
According to the report, 16,644 of the victims were killed by terrorism; 8,475 by banditry and 1,897 by farmers/herders clashes.
Read more: https://dailytrust.com/despite-23-states-security-outfits-insecurity-festers/
