For the period of 19 to 25 February, there were 50 critical incidents in Nigeria, resulting in 42 deaths and 32 arrests. Security-related operations accounted for 22% of total recorded incidents, followed by human & social-related incidents and criminality with 20% each. The Nigerian authorities continue to spend heavily on security and defense procurement. The Nigerian navy has acquired several small ships and patrol crafts to curb crime in the country’s rivers, in particular in the Delta’s waterways. The Air force, for its part, is preparing to establish a base in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, in an effort to bring an end to various security crises in the state.

The herdsmen-farmers crisis continues to dominate the headlines. Abia State is preparing to pass its own anti-grazing law and Benue’s Governor alleged a plot by a group of herdsmen to kill him. In Delta State, one person was killed at his cassava farm in an herdsmen attack. In Ondo state, a Yoruba nationalist group volunteered to secure Akure Airport after grazing cattle disrupted the landing of aircraft. Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has renewed focus on Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa, with more deployments of soldiers to counter herdsmen attacks. Infectious diseases are causing more concern in several parts of Nigeria. In Niger state, meningitis killed four as the heatwave continued to spike. Read more in our Nigeria Weekly report.