Mark Lipdo warns that worsening violence, mass displacement and disputes over the causes of attacks are undermining Nigeria’s security response
The Stefanos Foundation says it documented the deaths of 2,543 people and the abduction of 1,809 others across Nigeria during the first six months of 2026, highlighting the continuing human cost of the country’s security crisis.
Mark Lipdo, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, disclosed the figures during an interview with Rimamnde Shawulu on Majalisah, a current-affairs programme examining Nigeria’s political, security and governance challenges.
According to Lipdo, the foundation recorded 643 violent incidents across 32 states between January and June 2026. The incidents reportedly left 402 people injured, in addition to those killed or abducted.
The figures are drawn from the Stefanos Foundation’s monitoring report and should be understood as the organisation’s findings. They have not been presented as official statistics from the Nigerian government or independently verified national totals.
Lipdo identified Plateau State as one of the areas most severely affected by violence. Borno, Zamfara and Kaduna were also among the states said to have recorded significant levels of killings, kidnappings and community displacement.
The report suggests that insecurity is no longer confined to the North-East, where Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have operated for years. Armed violence has also continued across the North-West and Middle Belt, while incidents in parts of Niger, Kwara, Taraba, Enugu and Oyo states have intensified concerns that the crisis is spreading into previously safer areas.
During the interview, Shawulu questioned Lipdo about how the violence should be classified. Nigeria’s security crisis involves several overlapping threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed-herder attacks, communal conflict and competition over land and natural resources.
Lipdo argued that the government’s description of many attacks as principally criminal may not fully explain the patterns identified by his organisation. He maintained that the identity of targeted communities, the reported motivations of attackers and the long-term consequences of displacement should be considered when determining whether some incidents have a religious dimension.
The interview, however, acknowledged that both Christian and Muslim communities have suffered serious attacks. Muslim populations in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and other parts of the North-West have endured repeated killings, kidnappings and economic disruption by armed groups.
One of the most contentious claims examined during the programme concerned the displacement of rural communities. Lipdo said research by the Stefanos Foundation identified more than 300 communities in parts of Plateau State whose inhabitants had either been displaced or were unable to return safely.
He alleged that some abandoned settlements had been occupied by new residents following attacks. Shawulu pressed him on the evidence supporting the claim and the need to distinguish verified occupation from temporary displacement, migration or changes in settlement patterns.
The inability of displaced residents to return home has implications beyond immediate security. Prolonged displacement can disrupt farming, reduce food production, separate children from schools and expose families to poverty, hunger and disease. It can also generate disputes over land ownership and deepen mistrust among neighbouring communities.
The conversation further examined whether Nigeria’s security strategy and international assistance have produced measurable improvements. Lipdo said the scale of killings and abductions documented by the foundation indicated that existing responses had not sufficiently protected vulnerable populations.
Nigeria lacks a single, publicly accessible and consistently updated national database covering killings, kidnappings, displacement and conflict-related injuries. Figures published by government agencies, civil-society organisations and media-monitoring groups frequently differ because they employ different sources, definitions and verification methods.
These differences reinforce the need for transparent data collection and independent scrutiny. Reliable statistics are essential for deploying security personnel, assisting displaced families, prosecuting offenders and assessing whether government policies are working.
The full Majalisah interview raises a central question for Nigerian policymakers: can the country develop an effective security response without first reaching an evidence-based understanding of the different forces driving the violence?
Lipdo called for greater accountability, improved protection for vulnerable communities and a security policy that recognises the complexity of Nigeria’s conflicts.
The interview is available on @ndeya live, hosted by Rimamnde Shawulu.
