Northern Nigeria accounted for two out of every three security incidents recorded across the country in August, with 334 cases out of a national total of 500, according to the latest Nigeria Security Index by Eons Intelligence.
The figures place the North at the centre of Nigeria’s worsening security crisis. Meanwhile, Zamfara, Niger, Kano, and Sokoto recorded the highest number of incidents during the month.
Zamfara topped the list with 45 incidents, followed by Niger with 41. Kano and Sokoto each recorded 38 and 37 cases respectively, while Kaduna and Katsina registered 29 incidents apiece. Kebbi had 29, Borno 28 and Plateau 24.
Lagos, despite being in the South, also recorded 38 incidents which places it alongside some of the northern states with the highest figures.
The Eons assessment classified 86 incidents as armed attacks, 46 as kidnappings, and 55 as cult-related activities. Another 18 involved protests, while 295 fell under other categories, including fire outbreaks, improvised explosive device incidents, mob violence, and election-related events.
The findings coincide with a separate five-year analysis by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), analysed by Semafor, which points to significant changes in the geography of violent insecurity.
Kano recorded a striking 940 per cent increase in violent insecurity between 2021 and 2026, the largest rise highlighted in the analysis. Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara also experienced substantial increases in violent deaths.
However, Borno carried the heaviest conflict burden in absolute terms; its violent death rate was nearly three times that of any other state. The pattern is indicative of the enduring impact of Boko Haram insurgency and other armed extremist activities in the North-East.
The crisis has also extended into education. Borno State disclosed that more than 1,400 schools had been destroyed in the North-East, while 2,295 teachers had been killed and about 19,000 displaced. The state government said approximately three million children urgently needed emergency education support.
Kidnapping has emerged as another major pressure point. A recent SBM Intelligence report estimated that 7,825 people were abducted across Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026, a 66 per cent increase from the preceding year. It put ransom payments during the period at about $5.8 million.
In Sokoto, residents of Kebbe town reportedly faced a N40 million levy demanded by suspected bandits, who allegedly threatened to kill residents and burn the community if the money was not raised. Police spokesperson DSP Ahmed Rufai confirmed that the command had received the information and was working with its Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
Security analyst Suleiman Mande said the figures exposed the limitations of relying principally on military reactions after attacks had occurred.
He identified poverty, unemployment, weak institutions, poor governance, environmental pressures, porous borders, and inadequate state presence as factors sustaining insecurity.
“We cannot continue to respond to every attack after it happens,” Mande said, stressing the need for authorities to anticipate threats and protect vulnerable communities before violence strikes.
CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Rafsanjani also faulted poor intelligence coordination and inadequate preventive action.
With 334 of August’s 500 incidents occurring in the North, the figures present a stark picture of a security challenge that is perpetually concentrated in the region while taking different forms across the country.
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