Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
A new report has shown that 921 civilians and security personnel were killed while 827 people were abducted in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2023.
A breakdown of the figures, according to the report titled: “Quarterly Violent Reports by Region,” showed that 711 civilians were killed within the period under review while 71 military personnel paid the supreme price.
Others include 21 policemen while Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) recorded one death each.
A further breakdown of the figures by region showed that 294 were killed in the North-east while 109 were abducted.
In the North-central, 234 were killed while 77 were abducted, with 171 people killed in the North-west, which also recorded the highest number of abductions at 347.
The South-west recorded 31 killings and 50 abductions while South-south recorded 33 killings and 26 abductions.
The report, which was conducted by the Global Rights/Nigeria Mourns, captured the killings and abductions across the country from July to September 2023 and also showed that 64 people were killed in the South-east while 24 were abducted.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army graduated battle-ready troops to confront insecurity in the country, after months of rigorous training at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kachia in Kaduna State.
The graduation ceremony, which took place in Kaduna on Friday, featured a practical demonstration of military drills, showcasing the graduands’ newly acquired competencies in tactical manouvre physical proficiency, advanced shooting drills, warrior ethos, and unarmed combat, among other vital skills.
A statement issued by the Spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said the training package, code-named “Exercise Restore Hope V”, was to adapt personnel, who freshly passed out of Depot Nigerian Army to the challenges posed by the ever-changing nature of threats within Nigeria’s security environment.
Addressing the graduating troops, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, described the objective of the exercise as an effort by the Nigerian Army to close observed gaps in its operations through focused, adaptive, and effective training, to produce highly skilled and competent manpower for operational engagements in all theatres.
