New casualties in Nigeria’s killing field
Over the past week in Nigeria (June 26–July 2), more than 50 people lost their lives in the hands of violent non-state actors, according to reports.
More than 50?
Yes, sadly. From a Premiumtimes report that noted 51 of these casualties, 40 of the victims, in various incidents, were security officers, including 30 soldiers and 10 police officers. The other 11 people were civilians. And the incidents happened across the country, as only the South-west and northeast of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones did not report any occurrences.
Where are the places the killings happened?
The death of 43 individuals at the hands of terrorists in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State was the deadliest of the reported cases. In Edo state, the Catholic Diocese of Auchi confirmed the death of reverend father Christopher Odia, aged 41, who was earlier abducted by gunmen in the state. Elsewhere in Ebonyi state, three people were reported killed last Monday, in an attack on the Ngbo community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the State.
Other states include Rivers, Enugu, Niger, and Kaduna, where a joint task force commander and a resident were killed in an attack on Sabon Gero community, New Millennium City Settlement, in Chikun Local Government Area, during which 16 other residents were abducted. In a reaction to the Shiroro attack, president Mohamadu Buhari described the perpetrators as parasites that ‘thrive when the world is suffering’, and promised to bring them to justice
