Five security personnel were killed in the past two weeks (August 28 – September 10) as Nigeria’s security forces continued onslaughts on armed groups in different parts of the country.
The killings, as well as those of five civilians, showed a further decline in killings by non-state actors.
The 10 people killed in the two weeks add to the 12 killed in the previous two weeks to mark a record of one month with less than 30 fatalities. Before then, over 50 people, including security personnel, were killed monthly across the country. Some months witnessed hundreds of killings.
The reduction in the killings comes about five weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari said his orders to security chiefs to stop attacks in the country were yielding the desired results. The military has since been announcing successes against various armed groups with scores of terrorists killed or arrested weekly.
Of the 10 people killed by non-state actors in the past two weeks, five were security personnel including three police officers and two soldiers.
This paper compiled the incidents from media reports. Thus, unreported cases are not included.
Lagos
A chairman of the road transport union was killed during a clash between rival cultists in the Mile 12 area of Lagos State.
The state police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said that the deceased was identified as Alhaji Sule, adding that his “surname is unknown.”
Katsina
Two soldiers were killed while four others sustained injuries on Wednesday, 31 August after a gang of terrorists ambushed troops from the 32 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Katsina.
Residents of Shimfida, where the attack took place, said that many terrorists were also killed in the firefight that ensued after the ambush.
Borno
About four persons, including the Chief Imam of Gima, were reported killed with several others sustaining injuries when Boko Haram terrorists invaded the Ngulde community of Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on 4 September.
Enugu
Three police operatives were on 7 September killed when gunmen attacked them at New Haven, Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria’s South-east.
The incident happened at about 10:15 p.m. at a bus stop in the area.
The gunmen were said to have opened fire on the operatives, who engaged the hoodlums in a shootout.
Worst is over – Lai Mohammed
Reacting to the improvements in the past weeks, Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, said the worst of the security challenges facing the country is over.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Mohammed said bandits and terrorists would never “hold sway in our country”.
The minister said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been able to reduce the incidents of insecurity, adding that there might still be cases — but not on the scale witnessed by Nigerians in the past.
“As far as the daunting security challenges we face are concerned, we can tell you that the worst is over. Never again will terrorists and bandits and their cohorts hold sway in our country,” he said.
“The security challenges we have faced, as an administration, have been daunting — from terrorism to banditry to kidnapping to separatist violence to crude oil theft to armed robbery and sundry crimes.
“It’s undoubtedly the greatest challenge to the peace and security of our great nation since the civil war from 1967 to 1970. It is the kind of challenge that would have overwhelmed many nations.
“But thanks to the purposeful leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, we can say, I want to repeat, that the worst is over and peace and security are gradually returning to the land. Please don’t misunderstand or misrepresent this assertion.
“We may still witness isolated cases of security challenges here and there, but it will not be on the scale that we have witnessed in the past.”
The minister added that the media should always highlight the efforts of the security agencies in trying to keep the country safe.
Premium Times
