TheCable

At least 493 Nigerians have reportedly been killed as a result of insecurity since President Muhammadu Buhari appointed new service chiefs.

However, the number is slightly less than that of the preceding month before they were appointed.

TheCable studied casualties reported in the media and found that the victims are mostly in the northern parts of the country where bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been on a rampage.

One month ago, precisely on January 26, Buhari replaced the nation’s service chiefs after heavy criticism about their performance.

While their replacement drew ith sighs of relief from many Nigerians, Bashir Magashi, minister of defence, had also promised the new service chiefs will deliver on expectations concerning Nigeria’s security challenges.

However, the reverse appears to be the case as it has been one month of agony, looting and killings as criminals continue to unleash mayhem on helpless citizens.

An analysis of data from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) showed that from January 26 to February 26 when new security heads took office, 493 persons have been killed mostly by bandits in the north.

The casualties do not include crime suspects nor does it cover those in the custody of security agencies.

However, the total number of casualties is slightly less than the killings experienced in the preceding month.

The data assessed from CFR showed that not less than 538 persons were killed across the country within the last month the former service chiefs operated.

When compared to the first month of their successors, it shows the number of deaths from security incidents has decreased by eight percent decrease.

As Nigeria continues to battle insecurity under the Buhari administration now in its sixth year, many are questioning the president’s ability to secure citizens.

But the president maintains that he is doing his best to improve the security situation.