1.2.2. Intercommunal conflicts, including between farmers and herders

1.2.2. Intercommunal conflicts, including between farmers and herders

The country witnessed continued violence between herders and farmers201 as well as deadly attacks on local communities by unidentified perpetrators.202 In late May 2025, Amnesty International reported that at least 10 217 people had been killed in armed attacks in the states of Benue, Plateau (North-Central), Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara (North-West) and Edo (South-South) since the end of May 2023, with Benue accounting for most deaths (6 896), followed by Plateau (2 630).203

After high levels of lethal violence in 2023,204 the year 2024 saw a drop in fatalities from herder-farmer violence as Nigeria Watch recorded 567 such fatalities over the year (compared to 860 in 2023), with the largest numbers recorded in Kaduna state, the FCT and Delta state.205 However, in the second quarter of 2025, Benue and Plateau states witnessed a another ‘resurgence’ of the conflict,206 involving a series of mass-casualty attacks by assailants linked to herders across Benue resulting in over 150 deaths207 and several mass-casualty208/coordinated attacks in Plateau.209 Government efforts to enhance security were hindered by a lack of police and military personnel and shortages in equipment, as Nnamdi Obasi, International Crisis Group’s senior adviser for Nigeria, told the Financial Times.210