More Nigerians Die Daily As Insecurity Worsens Under Tinubu

• Kwara, Kogi, Others Under Siege Despite Heavy Military Deployment
• Bandits Approach S/West As Govs Strengthen Measures
• We Are Winning Counter-Insurgency War – Tinubu

Hundreds of Nigerians in different parts of the country again lost their lives as the worsening security situation of the country under President Bola Tinubu’s administration heightened in the last week weeks, OSUN DEFENDER reports.

From Kwara to Kogi, Kaduna to Abuja, Maiduguri to Yola, Sokoto to Borno, citizens have continued to become soft targets for criminals who have taken over the country, especially the Middle Belt, with several people being murdered every day alongside many who have been abducted.

Findings by the medium revealed that the increasing rate of insecurity in the country ranking from kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, burglary and the sacking of communities becoming the most prominent news item.

Despite relentless efforts of the Nigerian security agencies to rid parts of the country where safety of lives and property are under a serious threat off criminals and protect citizens, the situation has plummeted, with more people being killed and abducted lately.

An analysis by OSUN DEFENDER showed that the month of September 2025, there was a noticeable spike in killings and abductions on villages across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and parts of the North.

The situation has led to outcry from both local and international communities, with people now demanding that the federal government sit tight and ensure it performs one of its core duties as enshrined in the Constitution.

• Kwara Bleeds As 52 Killed, Thousands Displaced, Communities Deserted

Once regarded as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria, Kwara State has been in the eye of the storm lately as attacks on residents by bandits and kidnappers have surged.

In the last few weeks, men of the underworld have targeted residents in the northern and southern parts of the state.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that at least eight local governments across the three senatorial districts of the state have been under siege as the bandits caused havoc in communities in the areas.

In the last few months, at least 25 people, including a traditional ruler, police officers, vigilantes and civilians have been killed, with several communities and villages displaced.

The attacks have left behind a trail of bloodshed, fear and mass exodus of indigenes from several rural communities.

‎The latest tragedy struck on September 28, 2025, in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government area of the state, where armed men stormed the Ogbayo area around 7 a.m., opening fire on members of the local vigilante.

‎By the time security operatives arrived, 12 vigilantes, including the village head of Ogbayo, were killed, while several others sustained bullet wounds.

According to the state police command, 12 people, including hunters, newly recruited forest guards, vigilantes, and civilians, were injured during the bloody incident.

A victim of the attack, who lost her husband to the incident was seen in a viral video beside two male corpses – her husband and his friend.

Speaking in the video, the woman said, “They have killed my husband and I cannot run from his corpse. I have no other person. He was coming home when they broke the glass of the vehicle he was in and killed him and his brother. They also killed 10 vigilantes and abducted a husband and wife.”

Just weeks earlier, on August 11, 2025, Babanla town and its surrounding communities in the same local government were thrown into mourning after bandits believed to number over 200 invaded the area on motorcycles.

‎In a coordinated raid that lasted nearly two hours, the attackers stormed the Divisional Police Headquarters, looted shops in the market, abducted residents, and killed five people, including a police officer identified as Adejumo Wasiu.

• District Head, Residents Flee To Cameroon As Terrorists Launch Mayhem In Borno Community

Another state witnessing steady insecurity is Borno. Recently, Boko Haram insurgents have launched a renewed attack on residents of the state, with thousands now taking refuge in Cameroon.

Recently, Boko Haram insurgents attacked Kiwara, a border community in Gwoza Local Government Area,  with several houses, including the monarch’s palace, burnt.

The District Head of Kirawa, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abubakar, as well as residents of the community, have fled to neighbouring Cameroon after the attack.

According to reports, large numbers of residents boarded trucks to seek refuge in Cameroonian villages, while others fled to Maiduguri, the state capital, and Pulka, a nearby Nigerian community where soldiers are stationed.

The Chairman of the Kirawa Development Association, Yakubu Mabba Ali Kirawa, called for the urgent establishment of a military brigade in the area.

“I was informed that many of our people boarded trucks to Cameroon communities, particularly in one market there. While some returned to Pulka, a Nigerian community where there are soldiers.

Being a border community where it is just a river that separates us and Cameroon, we are requesting the Federal Government to establish a brigade and increase military deployment,” he said.

• Sokoto Residents Cry For Help Over Deadly Bandits Attack

Residents across several communities in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State have raised concerns over a surge in deadly bandit attacks, which have led to killings, abductions, displacement, and widespread fear.

The communities, led by Alhaji Adamu Haruna from Kebbe town, while addressing newsmen last Saturday, described the deteriorating security situation as dire, warning that lack of government intervention might push citizens to take the law into their own hands.

“Our lives are in danger. They have taken our property, our livestock, and now they have started abducting people,” Haruna lamented.

He added, “We’re no longer allowed to farm, and our belongings are being confiscated. People are getting desperate.”

In Dukura, a man was reportedly killed for resisting abduction.

“In Dalijan, bandits drove away with herds of cattle, and later ambushed animals at a local watering point. The attackers moved through multiple communities, including Ingushi and Gwalli, leaving destruction in their wake before security forces could respond.

“People are living in fear. These criminals are threatening to stop us from harvesting our crops.

“There is another group called Lakurawa who everyone fears — their grip on the region is growing,” Haruna added.

• Arewa Defence League Chides Govt Over Insecurity

Meanwhile, the Arewa Defence League (ADL), has decried the spate of insecurity in the Northern region, calling on the government to rise to its responsibilities.

ADL President, Murtala Abubakar, stated this in a statement issued at the end of the group strategy Seminar at Arewa House, Kaduna.

The group said it has adopted the Kaduna October Declaration on the Rights of the People of Northern Nigeria.

According to Abubakar, the declaration was a result of extensive consultations with state coordinators, national directors, subject-matter experts, and key stakeholders representing all nineteen Northern states.

The statement noted that the Northern region is beset by overlapping challenges in security, economics, and social cohesion which it said had formed a cycle of hardship and disillusionment.

“There has been a near-total loss of state control over violence, with rampant insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, and communal clashes. This collapse of safety is a profound failure of the state’s most essential responsibility.

“Government exists to provide security, freedom, and prosperity for its people. The current system has not fulfilled this core function, necessitating a restructuring of priorities and decentralization of powers to guarantee effective governance and development,” the statement added.

• Bandits Approach S/West As Govs Strengthen Measures

With the events of the last few weeks, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that bandits are making moves to sneak into forests, in a bid to capture Nigeria’s South West region.

Security experts who spoke to the medium on condition of anonymity alerted security agencies and the South West Governors Forum to beef-up intelligence around border communities.

They also urged them to further extend the synergy between military, civil and paramilitary security outfits in their various states to ensure the safety of their people.

Efforts to reach the Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps and Spokesperson of the State Police Command for comments on their moves on the matter proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.

• International Outcry

Amid the killings and attacks, United States and Canadian lawmakers, international advocacy groups, and faith organisations say Christians are being deliberately targeted, pressing for diplomatic action.

US Senator Ted Cruz recently introduced a bill, “The Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025”, arguing that Nigerian Christians are “being targeted and executed,” and proposing accountability measures for officials who facilitate abuses.

Meanwhile, in Canada, former federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and other members of parliament have publicly condemned what they described as escalating persecution of Christians in Nigeria, raising the subject in parliamentary fora and on social media.

These incidents were attributed to heavily armed gangs, including Islamist militants (Boko Haram/Islamic States West Africa Province), bandits, and armed pastoralist militias.

• Military Fight Against Insecurity As Tinubu Vows More Clampdown

Military authorities on Saturday disclosed that the troops fighting to rid the country of insecurity in September rescued 180 kidnapped victims (civilians), arrested 450 terrorists/bandits, and killed scores of terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements.

Also, 39 terrorists surrendered to troops, while 63 assorted arms, 4,475 ammunition, and 294 explosive items such as grenades and IED marking materials were recovered.

Speaking in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said terrorist logistics and communications materials, including hand-held radios, motorcycles, vehicles, and other items used in perpetrating crimes, were also recovered.

“In the Niger Delta,” Kangye said, “troops of Operation Delta Safe discovered and destroyed 41 illegal refining sites.

“Troops also foiled oil theft worth over one hundred and twelve million, one hundred and seventy-five thousand, two hundred and twenty naira (N112,175,220.00), consisting of 49,321 litres of crude oil, 6,970 litres of AGO, 1,900 litres of DPK, and 1,475 litres of PMS.

“Overall, troops recovered large quantities of various arms, such as automatic weapons, RPG tubes, machine guns, locally fabricated guns, and improvised explosive device-making material.”

Detailing the encounters, the DMO said, “Troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East sustained operational momentum by denying Boko Haram, ISWAP, and JAS terrorists’ freedom of action in the North-East region.

“Ground forces in conjunction with the Air Component and Hybrid forces, as well as local security groups, conducted aggressive operations leading to the elimination of several terrorists and their logistics suppliers.

“Troops recovered weapons, dismantled their networks, and provided support for safe resettlement of displaced persons and unimpeded farming activities.

“During the encounters, troops eliminated scores of terrorists and recovered arms and ammunition, while their camps were destroyed accordingly.

“Relatedly, from 23 to 30 September 2025, troops conducted operations in Mafa, Magumeri, Konduga, Damboa, Chibok, Kaga, Abadam, and Kukawa LGAs of Borno State, as well as Mubi North and Hong LGAs of Adamawa State. They also conducted operations in the Geidam and Nguru LGAs of Yobe State.”

In addition, President Tinubu also while addressing stakeholders in Jos, Plateau State over the weekend said his administration is winning the war against insecurity, stressing that successes achieved recently are pointers to his government’s determination to end the menace.