By Mark Mayah
No fewer than 54 people have been killed in a series of separate attacks across Benue, Borno, Kwara, and Zamfara states this week, according to a report by Amnesty International Nigeria.
The human rights organisation said many more people have been abducted or displaced as armed groups continue to terrorise communities.
In a statement issued Friday, Amnesty International criticised the Nigerian government for its growing failure to secure lives and property amid rising insecurity in the country.
The group said gunmen now operate with impunity, while authorities appear unable or unwilling to curb the violence.
“The latest attacks on rural communities show that President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups, while gunmen are wantonly having a free reign of bloodshed across many parts of Nigeria.”
“Nigerian government is increasingly failing to protect lives, as gunmen escalate attacks with impunity.”
“Given the rising level of insecurity in Nigeria today, it is obvious that protecting lives and property is low on the list of government priorities.”
“People should not be left to live in fear of the next attack or abductions.”
The renewed criticism comes amid repeated calls by civil society groups and local leaders for decisive action from the federal government to address growing security threats in rural communities.
On 24 April 2025, around mid-day, gunmen invaded Gobirawa Chali of Dan Gulbi district, Maru LGA of Zamfara State, and killed over 20 people. Dozens were severely injured.
“The gunmen, who arrived at the village on dozens of motorcycles, went on a house-to-house killing spree.”
“Initially, bodies of 14 people were recovered. Later, more bodies were found inside homes and in a mosque. Many people are missing since the attack. Because of frequent attacks, people of the area require armed security escorts at all times to travel in and out of the area.”
“The gunmen’s first target was a gold-mining site where they initially killed 14 people. The people of Dan Gulbi district have been repeatedly attacked by gunmen and continue to live perpetually in fear of a potential attack.”
Zamfara has been hit by bandit attacks on several occasions, usually leading to loss of lives and destruction of property.
Despite being one of Nigeria’s most insecure states, only N124 million was spent on internal security from a total annual allocation of N32.2 billion for the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs during the period.
Further analysis shows that of the N8 billion budgeted for security votes, just N222 million was expended in Q1. This underspending comes amid relentless attacks by armed groups that have left residents dead, injured, or abducted.
