At least 1,111 Nigerians were killed and 276 others abducted by non-state actors in June 2025, according to a security report released by Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited.
The report, cited by Leadership, showed a general decline in violent incidents across the country compared to May, though civilian casualties remained alarmingly high.
“Civilian fatalities remained high, accounting for 72.37 percent (804 individuals) of the total fatalities in June,” the report stated.
While June saw 465 security incidents, down from 895 in May, a 48.04 percent reduction, fatalities also fell by 14.27 percent from 1,296 to 1,111.
Abductions saw the sharpest decline, with a 74.59 percent drop from 1,086 in May to 276 in June.
Despite the drop in overall incidents, the report highlighted persistent hotspots.
“Farmer-herder conflicts significantly contributed to the fatalities in the North-Central region,” it said, while “the North-West experienced the highest number of abductions, with 72.10 percent of all abductees.”
The second quarter of 2025 recorded a slight 1.95 percent decrease in security incidents compared to Q1, falling from 2,359 to 2,313. However, deaths rose by 5.66 percent, from 3,301 to 3,499.
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The North-Central, North-West and North-East regions experienced increases in fatality rates of 34.97, 5.36 and 12.04 percent respectively, the report said.
It also recorded a total of 4,672 security breaches during the first half of the year. This marks a 1.08 percent decline from the second half of 2024 but a 9.21 percent increase compared to the first half of 2024.
A staggering 6,800 Nigerians were killed in H1 2025, indicating a 13.67 percent rise from H2 2024 and a 19.11 percent increase from H1 2024.
Zamfara State emerged as the deadliest hotspot, accounting for 1,088 deaths and 1,755 abductions, the highest in the country.
In total, 5,402 people were abducted in the first half of 2025. This represents a 2.40 percent decline compared to H2 2024, but a significant 30.43 percent surge from H1 2024.
The report warned that armed groups, including insurgents and bandits, continue to wreak havoc in the North-West and North-East, while the North-Central faces worsening insecurity in states such as Niger, Benue, Plateau and Kwara.
These areas, the report added, remain vulnerable to abductions, armed attacks and violent raids on rural communities.