By Tricia Iwuoha
Nigeria recorded a surge of deadly attacks across the country in 2025, with over 2,200 people killed in the first half of the year alone, LUSH reports.
The violence included insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and North-Central, and communal clashes in the Middle-Belt and South-South regions.
Key Attacks:
- Yelewata, Benue (June 13): Suspected Fulani herdsmen massacred nearly 200 farmers and traders in Guma LGA. Earlier, police repelled an attack on St. Joseph’s Church, sheltering 700 IDPs, but militants later set fire to a market building and opened fire, killing women and children.
- Zamfara (July 27): At least 40 abducted villagers from Banga, Kauran Namoda LGA, were killed despite ransom payments. The assailants had initially abducted 56 people in March, releasing 16 but slaughtering the rest, including pregnant women.
- Darul Jamal, Borno (September 3): Boko Haram fighters attacked a village near a military base on the Nigeria-Cameroon border, killing over 80 people, including five soldiers. Nigerian Air Force operatives reportedly killed at least 30 militants in retaliation.
- Plateau State: Terrorists killed at least 150 people across multiple attacks. In January, Mangu town lost 30 residents; in April, Bokko District saw 53 killed and 2,000 displaced; in June, Riyom LGA attacks claimed 58 lives and displaced 15,000.
- Kebbi State (November 17): Bandits attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, abducting 24 students and killing the vice principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku. The federal government later secured the students’ release.
- Kwara State (November 18): Attackers stormed a Christ Apostolic Church branch in Eruku town, killing at least eight worshippers and abducting several others, including the resident pastor. Over 50 people were reportedly taken to unknown locations.
- Niger State (November 21): Gunmen abducted 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Rafi LGA. Fifty children reportedly escaped during the raid, while the rest were eventually released.
Across the country, over two million people were abducted in 2025 for ransom or organ harvesting, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions. December alone recorded 82 deaths from terrorist attacks, highlighting the persistent threat to national security.
The attacks have left communities traumatised and raised renewed concerns about school safety, religious gatherings, and the government’s ability to curb insecurity.
