A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Nigeria’s North-Central where banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence have killed many Nigerians and uprooted millions, crippled agriculture and exposed the depth of fractured peace in tackling one of the country’s deadliest internal security crises.

In Benue, Plateau, Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, and parts of Adamawa, criminal groups have sustained the grim pattern, especially in the two years since the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. At least 6,896 people have been killed in Benue State, while 2,630 lives were lost in Plateau State in the last four years.

In Benue, the worst-affected local councils are Guma, Logo, Gwer-West, Agatu, Makurdi, and Kwande. They have seen entire villages emptied as herders’ attacks and reprisal raids devastate communities.

Governor Hyacinth Alia described the violence as “a slow war of attrition that must be stopped before it consumes the state.” At least 80 farming communities now depend on internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Makurdi, Gbajimba, and Abagena for survival.

In Plateau, thousands of deaths were recorded between 2021 and 2025 in Bokkos, Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, and Jos South, according to Global Rights and SBM Intelligence.

The Mangu and Bokkos killings in late 2023 left 1,200 homes destroyed, 25,000 people displaced, and farmlands worth billions of naira lost. Mass graves discovered in January 2024 in Bokkos prompted calls for a special military operation.

Despite curfews, attacks persist in rural areas. “We are at the mercy of gunmen who strike in the night and vanish before security men arrive,” lamented Pastor Istifanus Dung of Barkin Ladi.

Niger State has endured a wave of attacks that have claimed over 2,400 lives since 2021, mostly in Shiroro, Rafi, Munya, and Mariga councils.

The Niger State Emergency Management Agency reports that more than 30,000 residents have fled their homes, with over 500 communities sacked by armed bandits riding motorcycles and wielding heavy weapons.

In 2022, around 500 people were kidnapped for ransom ranging from N1 million to N20 million. In January 2023, more than 50 villagers were killed in Shiroro and 100 abducted.

Governor Umar Bago confirmed that vast areas of farmland remain inaccessible due to insecurity. Analysts note that Niger’s location along forested corridors linking Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kebbi facilitates bandit movement.

Kidnappings, massacres

Kogi State has recorded at least 800 deaths and 200 kidnappings between 2021 and 2024 in Dekina, Yagba West, Okene, and Kabba-Bunu councils.

Notable incidents include the 2023 abduction of 25 university students near Itobe and the massacre of 45 villagers in Ajaokuta.

Kogi State Police data show over 150 kidnapping cases and 70 armed robberies within the period. Despite military checkpoints on the Okene-Lokoja highway, attacks have become increasingly sophisticated, often aided by local informants.

Nasarawa State has witnessed a steady increase in banditry, terrorism, and communal killings over the past four years, claiming more than 400 lives and displacing thousands.

Between 2021 and 2025, herder-bandit attacks and reprisal killings occurred frequently. In December 2021, coordinated raids left over 50 people dead in what became known as the Nasarawa Massacre. Violence flared again in January 2023 after a Nigerian Air Force airstrike in Akwanaja killed 40 herders.

Police records for 2023 show 75 kidnappings, 83 robberies, 38 murders, 24 rapes, and 202 thefts, totalling 839 serious crimes. Security operatives recovered 49 firearms and 607 rounds of ammunition.

Between November 2024 and April 2025, attacks claimed at least 104 lives across Toto, Nasarawa, Awe, Doma, Obi, and Keana councils. Despite intensified deployments, porous borders and weak intelligence coordination with Benue, Niger, and Kogi continue to fuel the crisis.

Forest hideouts, ransom payments, eyewitness accounts

Kwara State has recorded more than 150 deaths and 300 kidnappings in the past two years, with property and livestock losses estimated at over N200 million.

Bandits, mostly from the Mahmuda group operating within Kainji National Park, have exploited forest reserves in Kaiama, Edu, Patigi, Ifelodun, and parts of Baruten Council as hideouts. Originally itinerant preachers, the group turned militant 14 years ago, burning farms, displacing communities, and killing vigilantes.

Victims are attacked in their homes, on highways, or during market raids, with ransom payments ranging from N10 million to N20 million. A Kaiama resident recalled: “There were just seven of them when they arrived preaching and farming. Nobody suspected what they would become. Now they raid whole communities without mercy.”

Communities affected include Lafiagi, Kpandaragi, Bokungi, Maganiko Ndanangi, Ndeji, Haruna Kata, Gbale, Bishewa, Ekko, Wariku, Lata Nna, Lade, Lile, Sakpefu, Mari, Duruma, Kemanji, Nuku, Tenebo, Ilesha Baruba, Okuta, Boriya, Kosubisu, and Gure. The Edu, Patigi, Lafiagi, and Moro councils, largely forested, have long served as bandit hideouts. The seven southern councils: Ifelodun, Irepodun, Isin, Oke-Ero, Ekiti, Offa, and Oyun temporarily shut cattle markets suspected of aiding criminal coordination.

Ali Mohammed Jonwuro, chairman of the Miyetti Allah Fulaku Yeso Yeso Development Association (MAFYDA), said: “Over 3,000 cattle were rustled and ransoms paid, yet some abductees were killed despite payment. Poor community vetting allowed infiltrators. We Fulani are the most affected by banditry.”

Traditional rulers have repeatedly called for a stronger military presence. The Obanla of Ifelodun, Oba Aliyu Adegboyega Yusuf, lamented government neglect in clearing forest paths and establishing security formations.

Analysts blame successive administrations, illegal mining, and poor rural infrastructure for enabling attacks. A military officer noted that the forest belt from Oro Ago to Patigi and Lafiagi in Kogi stretches over 100 miles, forming a natural fortress for armed criminals.

Reports also point to complicity among some traditional leaders. A queen in Babanla was remanded by the Department of State Services (DSS) after being caught with N120 million linked to kidnappers. Another monarch was alleged to have received N3 million per victim. Residents continue to report intelligence failures and delays in military response.

Already, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has deployed 700 hunters as forest guards across 11 councils, with 1,200 additional recruits undergoing training.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Ibadan has relocated to Kwara to coordinate operations. Despite these measures, opposition figures, including former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and religious leaders such as the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir, have called for stronger protection, citing rising casualties and escalating property losses.

The discovery of lithium deposits in Oke-Ode is believed to have triggered renewed attacks. Residents alleged that a local security coordinator withdrew weapons from vigilantes for “servicing” shortly before an assault that killed 21 people, although police confirmed five deaths. All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Opeyemi Olabanji has proposed a N6 billion Kwara South Security Fund (KSSF), urging communal contributions and public oversight.

The Kwara State Police Command has assured displaced residents that they will be able to return home before the end of 2025.

Spokesperson Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi stated that more than 50 kidnap suspects have been arrested and prosecuted. Technology-driven surveillance and community policing, she said, are helping to restore calm. Adeyemi also dismissed claims of helicopter-dropped terrorists, reaffirming the command’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property.

Spillover violence in Adamawa

Although located in the North-East, Adamawa has experienced significant spillover from the violence in the North-Central region. Between 2021 and 2025, at least 500 people were killed and 1,200 kidnapped in Fufore, Gombi, and Madagali councils. Humanitarian agencies report that more than 15,000 people have fled to displacement camps in Mubi and Yola following attacks linked to Boko Haram and bandit factions.

Security experts blame porous borders, weak intelligence-gathering, and the collapse of local vigilante networks for the continued violence. According to SBM Intelligence, 60 per cent of attacks in the North-Central occurred more than 15 kilometres from security posts. Civil society groups argue that state governments have failed to coordinate joint responses.

Across the region, more than 2.5 million people remain displaced, 70 per cent of them women and children. Agricultural output has declined sharply, with rice and yam production dropping by 40 per cent in Benue and Plateau.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that food insecurity will deepen unless displaced farmers return to their land. Health facilities have also been destroyed or abandoned, with more than 100 primary health centres affected.

Despite increased military operations and numerous arrests, banditry remains widespread. Local leaders continue to call for stronger federal intervention, including aerial surveillance, additional troop deployment, and funding for local vigilance networks.

Four years on, the North-Central remains Nigeria’s “bleeding heart,” caught between armed terror and official inertia. As one displaced farmer in Makurdi puts it: “We have buried our people, lost our farms, and now live as refugees in our own land.”

Renewed attacks, intensified operations in Kwara

Following the latest surge of violence in Kwara, the Nigerian Army Headquarters on September 29, 2025, ordered the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 2 Division, Ibadan, Oyo State, to relocate to the state to coordinate and strengthen military operations.

The attackers stormed the Ogbayo area of Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Council on a Sunday morning, firing sporadically and targeting members of the local vigilante group. Twelve people were killed, including the Baale of Ogbayo.

While there are no official updates yet on the GOC’s actions to curb the attacks, residents report a relative calm in recent days. In response to the incident, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) deployed fighter jets to strike bandit hideouts across Kakihun, Oke-Ode, Babanla, and surrounding communities.

The NAF reaffirmed its commitment to protecting civilians and troops, maintaining air superiority, and sustaining pressure on armed groups. The force also reiterated its resolve to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity and safeguard communities against threats.

In mid-August, security forces announced the capture of two leaders of the terrorist group Ansaru, Abu Bara and Mahmud al-Nigeri, believed to be responsible for attacks in Kwara, Niger, and other parts of the country. The two are also linked to Ansaru networks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Ansaru maintains close ties with Al Qaeda.

Efforts to reach the Director of Defence Media Operations (DMO), Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, for comment on military actions in Kwara proved unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to messages.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, referred enquiries to the DMO, noting that operational matters fall under his office.

Kwara State falls under two North-Central joint task forces combating banditry, Operation Enduring Peace and Operation Whirl Stroke. However, specific efforts to curb the recent surge of attacks in Kwara were not highlighted in the last two briefings by the DMO. (The Guardian)