RULAAC reveals that gun-wielding criminals have killed at least 119 security operatives spread across most of the agencies
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
At least 119 security personnel were murdered by gun-wielding criminals in the last ten months, according to findings by the Rule of Law Accountability and Advocacy Centre (RULAAC).
RULAAC says the attackers also torched either police stations, DSS facilities, offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other government facilities, at least 45 of them.
According to details of the report cited by TheNiche, the documentation covered the period January to October 2021.
The report says a total of 82 cases were documented within the ten months period.
Imo leads in the number of incidents, a total of 12 out of the 82 documented by RULAAC, followed by Abia, then Anambra, then Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi, according to a breakdown of the incidents released by RULAAC.
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RULAAC says among the Organizations affected by the attacks are;
- Nigeria Police Force – 112 deaths
- Nigeria Customs – 3 deaths
- Nigeria Military – 4 deaths
The report also listed the facilities affected by the attacks. They include;
- Number of Police Station set on fire -34
- Number of INEC Offices attacked /burnt – 5
- Number of Correctional Services attacked – 3
- DSS offices attacked – 1
- FRSC facilities attacked- 1
- NDLEA facilities attacked – 1
Perpetrator Organisation
- Unknown Gunmen – 49
- Hoodlums – 4
- IPOB – 1
- Angry Residents-2
- Bandits -5
Number of incidents by States
- Abia – 10
- Akwa Ibom – 7
- Anambra – 9
- Delta – 3
- Ebonyi – 7
- Enugu – 3
- Imo – 12
- Kaduna – 2
- Kogi – 1
- Kwara -1
- Niger – 2
- Rivers – 2
- Zamfara – 1
The numerous attacks against security agencies and their inability to defend themselves, especially the police, was largely due to funding challenge, experts have complained in the past. A reason the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) was established.
RULAAC had a few weeks ago, complained that barely two years into the establishment of the NPTF, it is gradually becoming a problem than the solution it is designed to solve.
The NPTF was created by an Act of the National Assembly in 2019 to provide additional funding sources for the Nigeria Police.
The additional funding sources is supposed to come from a percentage of the profit of companies operating in Nigeria, interventions from states, federal and local governments, grants and foreign assistance and profits generated from investment of those funds
RULAAC has been tracking the activities of the NPTF to ensure judicious use of the funds, especially in the light of police handicaps to protect citizens across the country.
