In August, no fewer than 693 Nigerians lost their lives in various attacks across the country, according to a report released by West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).

Among the casualties were 183 persons who lost their lives during shoot-out between security operatives and criminal gangs.

Violent clashes, cult clashes, demonstration, culpable homicide, extrajudicial killings, farmer/herders’ conflicts and sexual and gender-based violence accounted for 9, 15, 1, 8, 3 and 96 two deaths respectively.

The findings also showed that 66 incidents of abduction were recorded across 18 States while a total of 496 people, including 37 females and 22 children, were kidnapped.

Further breakdown showed that out of the total fatalities in the month under review, 674 persons including 23 females and 17 children were civilians while 19 persons were security operatives.

Plateau State tops the chart with 122 deaths, while Oyo, Enugu, Cross River recorded the least casualty of one death each.

Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Borno, Imo, Rivers, Ogun, Benue, Delta, Osun, Lagos, Ondo, Taraba recorded 121, 111, 64, 37, 27, 26, 24, 21, 18, 15, 14, 13, 7, and 7 deaths respectively.

(Daily Trust)