NIGERIA: ‘Violence remains widespread and vulnerable communities are being neglected’
Civil society leaders in Nigeria are raising alarms over widespread insecurity, including kidnappings, insurgency, and police brutality. The report highlights how vulnerable communities are suffering from both armed groups and state-sanctioned violence.
Why it matters
It underscores the ongoing humanitarian and governance crisis in Nigeria, where security forces are increasingly accused of failing to protect citizens and engaging in human rights abuses.
CIVICUS discusses protests over insecurity and deaths in custody in Nigeria with Mathew Oladele, director of the Initiative for Social Development in Africa, a civil society organisation (CSO) that works to empower communities through transparent governance and social justice in Nigeria and across Africa.
In late September, residents of Borgu, a district in Nigeria’s Niger State, protested to demand the rescue of hundreds of people abducted by armed groups in August. Days earlier, protests had erupted in Minna, the state capital, after dozens of suspected illegal miners died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), a paramilitary agency. The governor imposed a 24-hour curfew, and security forces responded with gunfire and teargas. The protests have increased pressure on authorities to protect communities and hold security forces accountable for abuses.
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