By Oseremen Ihimekpen
No fewer than 279 persons were kidnapped across Nigeria in May 2026, while 156 violent incidents claimed 842 lives, according to new data from Nextier’s Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database.
The figures highlight a sharp deterioration in the country’s security situation. The rise comes amid growing concerns from lawmakers, security experts, and development practitioners over persistent kidnappings, escalating violence, and the effectiveness of current peacebuilding efforts.
“Available records indicate that budget implementation in key defence and security agencies remains below 30 per cent, a situation that is unacceptable given the scale of insecurity confronting the nation.”
— Afam Victor Ogene, Spokesman, House Minority Caucus
VIOLENCE SPIKES YEAR-ON-YEAR
Nextier’s data shows insecurity rose significantly compared to May 2025. Violent incidents increased by 51.5%, casualties jumped by 90.1%, and kidnap victims climbed by 19.7%.
The findings have intensified doubts over whether substantial investments by governments and development partners in peacebuilding are yielding measurable results.
In a policy article titled “The Travails of Measuring Peacebuilding in Fragile Contexts,” Jamilu Musa, a development practitioner and research professional at Nextier, and Dr. Chukwuma Okoli, a Political Science lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, warned that weak impact assessment frameworks are undermining peacebuilding interventions.
The experts argued that while governments, development partners, and local communities continue to fund peacebuilding programmes, determining if such interventions actually reduce conflict remains a major challenge.
They noted that with international funding for peacebuilding shrinking, measuring outcomes has become more critical than ever. “Counting activities is no longer sufficient,” they said. “The real test is whether peacebuilding efforts are making communities safer, more inclusive, and more resilient.”
LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER BUDGET PERFORMANCE
The report comes as the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives raised concerns over poor implementation of the national budget. The caucus warned that inadequate funding of security agencies is worsening insecurity nationwide.
The President of the Nigeria Society for Criminology, Prof. Oludayo Tade, also called on President Bola Tinubu to intensify efforts to secure the country and protect citizens from growing threats.
Following an emergency virtual meeting on June 19, the caucus resolved to formally raise concerns about budget implementation when plenary resumes.
Caucus spokesman Afam Victor Ogene told journalists that defence and security-related Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, recorded less than 30% budget implementation despite escalating security challenges.
The lawmakers said low implementation has affected military operations, logistics, and the campaign against insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping.
“The consequence of this poor funding is evident in the challenges faced by our security personnel in prosecuting the war against insurgency, banditry and kidnapping.”
— House Minority Caucus
The opposition lawmakers accused the executive of failing to fulfil commitments made through budgets approved by parliament since 2024. They stressed that ensuring accountability in budget implementation remains a core constitutional duty of the National Assembly.
