Violence Surges In Nigeria Ahead Of January Election

By Semafor Africa Photo: Wikimedia Commons The targeting of civilians by insurgents and bandits in Nigeria has surged compared to last year, as new research sheds light on the depth of the security challenges rocking the nation ahead of January presidential elections. Conflict monitoring organization ACLED found a 30% rise in the targeting of civilians by insurgents and bandit groups in Nigeria, while the three months through June were the country’s most violent quarter since it began collecting data in 1997. Banditry is increasingly lucrative: Ransom payments for abductions last month tripled to $5.8 million, according to the SBM, a Lagos-based consultancy. The rise was on the back of a 66% year-on-year increase in the number of kidnap victims, the firm said. President Bola Tinubu, who began a three-week vacation in Europe on Sunday, has ordered an army and police rescue operation of the 600 people kidnapped from mosques in Niger state this month. Those attacks were the latest to hit the headlines. But while his team has trumpeted economic progress ahead of January’s presidential election, it has been quieter about Nigeria’s security situation.