This special edition of the weekly update spotlights criminal violence in the Niger Delta. Criminal violence including kidnapping, ritual killing, robbery, and clashes between cult gangs is a major driver of insecurity in the region. According to data (see map below), criminal violence caused over a thousand fatalities in the Niger Delta between January 2020 and August 2022. Recent data shows that criminal violence is increasingly becoming lethal and devastating in the region. In August 2022, for instance, a 37-year-old man was allegedly decapitated by ritualists in Elebele town in Ogbia LGA, Bayelsa State. Separately, in August, a community leader was reportedly killed by gunmen in Effurun town in Uvwie LGA, Delta State. In September, a senior civil servant was allegedly killed by gunmen in Akure, the Ondo state capital. Separately, in September, five passengers were reportedly abducted by kidnappers along Emohua-Kalabari Road in Emohua LGA, Rivers State. More recently, on September 17, 2022, gunmen reportedly killed two residents and burned houses and a market in Orsu-Ihiteukwa town in Orsu LGA, Imo State.
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