At least, 323 people have been killed in different attacks on rural communities across six northern states within the first 20 days of February, Amnesty International has said.
In a statement posted on its official X account on Saturday, the human rights organisation said the killings were recorded in Benue, Katsina, Kwara, Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara states.
According to Amnesty International, the rising death toll shows that President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that have killed thousands of people.
The organisation said the continued violence and what it described as the authorities’ failure to stop the attacks and bring suspected perpetrators to justice remain a serious threat to the right to life in Nigeria.
“Incessant killings and the shocking failure of the authorities to end them and bring suspected perpetrators to justice have been and continues to be a threat to the right to life in Nigeria,” the statement read.
Amnesty said that since 2020, it has been documenting a disturbing pattern of attacks on rural communities.
According to the group, gunmen often ride into villages on motorcycles, heavily armed, and begin shooting at residents.
The attackers, it said, abduct women and girls, burn houses, steal livestock, destroy farm produce and kidnap villagers for ransom.
The organisation also revealed that in recent cases, some communities received “warning letters” from armed groups before the attacks were carried out.
It added that some of the assaults last for several hours.
Amnesty cited a recent incident in Niger State where an attack reportedly started around 3:00 a.m. and continued until about 10:00 a.m.
“Most villagers told Amnesty International that the government left them at the mercy of their attackers,” the statement said.
The group stressed that the government has a constitutional obligation to protect lives and property.
“The rising death toll in the north of Nigeria shows just how badly the authorities are failing in this responsibility,” Amnesty International stated.
