By Gift Olivia Samuel, The Sight News
Civil society organisation, Connected Development (CODE), has disclosed that no fewer than 465 Nigerians were killed and 355 others abducted across the country in the month of June, 2022.
This was contained in the organization’s monthly security report— a security tracker to monitor and investigate the gaps in Nigeria’s security architecture—which was officially unveiled to journalists in Abuja.
Presenting the report on Wednesday, CODE’s Head of Research and Policy, Dr. Ani Nwachukwu, said 120 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries and 2,000 persons suffered displacement from their homes.
He also noted that the overwhelming majority of attacks happened in the rural areas and questioned why the rural communities are increasingly turning into ungoverned spaces.
According to him, “Over the years, Nigeria has increased military spending or defense budget to enhance its military power and improve security conditions but attacks are not subsiding accordingly as recent trends have shown that security breakdowns are worsening despite huge budgetary provisions.
“We are asking the question, what is needed; more funds or accountability for the security agencies? In June alone, out of 114 incidents reported across mainstream news platforms, we recorded a total of 3,120 victims and out of this, a total of 465 persons were killed; 355 persons were kidnapped, 120 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries and 2,000 persons were displaced from their homes”, he said.
Nwachukwu, while speaking on the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of crimes across the country in June, said 186 arrests were made but there was no significant number of prosecutions beyond the media parade, adding that this action flattens the public trust in security agencies.
Furthermore, he concluded that the pattern of attacks can jeopardize the 2023 general election if interventions are not immediately deployed, and emphasized on the need to keep the grassroots populations safe as further neglect can pose a great challenge to the country.
For his part, CODE’s Chief Executive Hamzat Lawal, while highlighting the impact of the organisation’s 2021 intervention in Nigeria, said it has been leading campaigns on gender-based violence, education, Water Sanitation and Hygiene and also holding the government accountable in different states across the country.
He revealed that CODE has so far tracked N1.1 billion worth of constituency funds for 2020 and 2021 in Kaduna State.
While noting that CODE has been leading campaigns in ensuring that sexual harrasment and molestation in Kano are properly documented and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act adopted, he called on Legislators in Northern Nigeria to expedite action on the amendment of the Penal Code to include most of the provisions of the VAPP Act.
CODE also launched its annual report detailing various interventions and efforts to institutionalize accountability and transparency in governance across Africa.
