No fewer than 152 security operatives have been killed in attacks by non-state actors across Nigeria between January 2 and May 13, 2025, according to data from SBM Intelligence and media reports.
These casualties include soldiers, police officers, and civil defence personnel, with actual numbers likely higher due to underreporting.
The toll among civilians is even more alarming, with Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited reporting 4,702 deaths and 3,739 abductions within the first four months of 2025.
“Our database shows that… with these numbers, it is hard to justify any pass mark for the current security sector leadership,” said Dr Kabir Adams, Managing Director of the firm.
READ ALSO: Boko Haram Takeover: One Town out of 300 Remains under Government Control – Gov. Zulum
President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, recently inducted new helicopters into the Nigerian Air Force, calling it “a strategic statement of intent.”
However, security experts like Oladele Fajana and Jackson Ojo remain sceptical. “For such attacks to succeed repeatedly, it points to a failure in intelligence gathering,” Fajana said.
Ojo went further, criticising the Defence Ministers for lacking experience and warning, “Nigerians are losing faith, and when that happens, they will resort to self-help.”
He urged the Tinubu government to act decisively, citing gruesome attacks such as the reported feeding of infants to dogs in Zamfara.
