At least 1,686 people have died in 909 separate gang-related incidents across Nigeria between January 2020 and March 2025, with the South-South and South-West regions recording the highest number of fatalities, according to a new report released Tuesday, July 1, by SBM Intelligence.
The study, based on data from SBM’s Violence Tracker, identified Rivers, Lagos, and Edo states as the deadliest, with 215, 197, and 192 deaths respectively.
These states are notorious for longstanding rivalries between groups like Vikings, Icelanders, Aiye, Eiye, Black Axe, and Greenlanders.
“In Nigeria’s gang landscape, the South-South and South-West are epicentres of violence,” the report said.
According to SBM, the South-South alone accounted for more than 750 deaths, fuelled mainly by cult wars in Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa.
In the South-West, over 491 people were killed, with Lagos and Ogun witnessing repeated confrontations between Aiye and Eiye confraternities.
The South-East was also flagged as a major flashpoint, especially Anambra, which recorded more than 215 deaths linked to cult and separatist-related clashes.
Meanwhile, the North-Central zone, particularly Benue, saw 204 fatalities largely involving gangs such as Scavengers and Chain.
In contrast, the North-East and North-West regions recorded fewer than 30 deaths combined, a decline attributed to the dominance of insurgent and bandit groups that have overshadowed gang operations.
“Between January 2020 and March 2025, data from SBM Intel’s Violence Tracker indicated that no fewer than 1,686 people were killed in at least 909 incidents of gang violence across Nigeria, an average of approximately 1.85 fatalities per incident, with 2024 leading in incidents (273) but having fewer fatalities than 2021, which recorded more deaths (377) than the years under review,” the report said.
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SBM noted that an additional 645 incidents involving 1,286 deaths were excluded from the dataset because the gang affiliations could not be determined.
The report also highlighted fluctuations in gang violence during the five-year period. The deadliest year was 2021, which saw 377 deaths from 173 incidents. This spike was attributed to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened political tensions.
A decline followed in 2022 with 228 deaths across 97 incidents, which analysts linked to government crackdowns and temporary gang truces.
However, 2024 saw a resurgence in activity, with the highest number of recorded incidents (273), though with fewer casualties per attack.
“This surge might be attributed to the democratisation of reporting through social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter, moving incident accounts beyond traditional police releases,” the report stated.
SBM added that worsening economic hardship may be pushing more young Nigerians into gang activity, with early data from 2025 already pointing to a possible rise in violent incidents.
States like Edo, Ogun, and Delta collectively accounted for 54 percent of all recorded incidents and over 53 percent of deaths.
One notable case occurred in Edo State in late December 2023, when a deadly confrontation between Black Axe and Eiye cultists reportedly left more than 30 people dead in a single week.
Anambra recorded 128 deaths, followed by Akwa Ibom with 89 and Bayelsa with 69. Other states, including Osun (55 deaths) and Kwara (58), saw unexpected spikes in cult violence, which the report linked to the expansion of cult groups into new areas.
However, northern states such as Borno, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara reported little or no gang violence, as their security challenges remain dominated by terrorism and banditry rather than cult activity.