1.2.7. Main security trends and impact on the civilian population

1.2.7. Main security trends and impact on the civilian population

Security Incidents

According to ACLED data, 7 127 security incidents (coded as ‘battles’, ‘explosions/remote violence’, ‘riots’, and ‘violence against civilians’258) occurred across the country during the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 August 2025. Of these incidents, 2 627 were coded by ACLED as battles, 348 as explosions/remote violence, 566 as riots, and 3 586 as violence against civilians.259

The highest numbers of security incidents were recorded by ACLED in Borno (813 incidents), Zamfara (760), and Katsina states (746). By contrast, the fewest incidents were recorded in Gombe (12), Jigawa (26) and Ekiti states (30).261

Some illustrative incidents include:

• On 7 March 2024, bandits abducted 287 schoolchildren, including numerous girls, in the town of Kuriga, Kaduna State.263

• On 12 January 2025, suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP militants killed at least 40 civilians as they attacked the Dumba community of Borno State.264

• On 13 April 2025, unidentified gunmen attacked two villages in the Bassa LGA of Plateau State, killing 52 people.265

• On 14 June 2025, unidentified gunmen suspected to be linked to herder communities launched an attack on Yelewata community (Benue State). The state governor stated that 59 residents had been killed in the attack, although media citing victims lists put the death toll at more than 100.266

• On 21 June 2025, a suicide bombing by a woman at a market in Konduga town (Borno State) reportedly left at least 12 people dead. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.267

• In July 2025, at least 70 vigilantes were killed as they were ambushed by bandits in Kanam LGA of Plateau state.268

• On 5 September 2025, Boko Haram carried out a nighttime assault on a community in Borno state’s Bama LGA, killing over 60 people, including seven soldiers.269

Fatalities

ACLED recorded a total of 17 109 fatalities as having been caused by security incidents across the country, recorded during the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 August 2025, including 5 840 that resulted from incidents coded as ‘violence against civilians’.272

Internal Displacement

According to UNHCR, as of August 2025, 3 575 114 IDPs and 23 732 refugee returnees were living in Nigeria. The highest number of people were displaced in the North-East (2 252 348), mainly due to insurgency (92 %) and communal violence (6 %), followed by the North-West (718 126) and North-Central (604 640), driven by a variety of conflict-related dynamics. At state level, most IDPs were recorded in Borno (1 704 175), Benue (457 666), Katsina (270 968), Zamfara (216 968) and Adamawa states (200 211).273 According to the IDMC, 295 000 people were newly displaced across the country as a result of conflict and violence, including nearly 123 000 due to criminal violence in the North-West (Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara), 57 000 due to conflict in states such as Borno and Yobe, and 43 000 as a result of communal violence in Benue.274