In 2016, Lagos State recorded 837 violent
deaths - New report
In a new report released by the Nigeria Watch Project, Lagos
State recorded 837 violent death in 2016.
The report is the 6th Annual Report on lethal violence in Nigeria
covers the period between 1 January and 31 December 2016. It
has been written at the University of Ibadan, with the support of
the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) and
the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria).
“In Lagos in 2016, it recorded 837 violent deaths,
including 460 resulting from various criminal incidents.
In contrast, the police recorded 246 murders, or a low
rate of 2.7 homicides for 100,000 people as per the 2006
census, against a national average of 20 according to
UNODC.
Anyone walking in the streets of Lagos would thus be quite
surprised to learn that the city is almost as safe as Stockholm in
Sweden or Geneva in Switzerland, two countries that record
homicide rates equivalent to 2 homicides for 100,000 people,” the
report said.
The report added that although the statistics for fatalities in
Lagos and Rivers were quite similar, the former is far more prone
to criminal activities than the latter, disclosing that Lagos
recorded 235 events, while Rivers listed just 108 incidents in
2016.
“Also, Lagos State recorded the highest number of
fatalities, 194 in road mishaps. The result is rather
intriguing because there is no evidence to show that
Rivers State has a better road infrastructure than Abuja
and Lagos. Perhaps the explanation lies in the fact that
vehicle pressures on Lagos and Abuja seem to be more
intense. In the case of Lagos, the ongoing road
construction on the Lagos–Ibadan expressway may be a
factor. A major aspect of crime in Rivers was cult
violence, which killed 254 people, as against 93 in Lagos
and 2 in Abuja. Most of the cult killings were perpetrated
by gangs such as the Icelanders, Greenlanders, and
Deygbam. The killings occurred in 11 LGAs, especially in
Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (80 deaths), Ahoada East (59),
Emuoha (51), and Ikwerre (26).
“The problem hinges on the fact that politicians
reportedly use cultist groups to harass opposition
parties. The overall assessment of security as a
combination of both crime incidents and road accidents
shows that Rivers is more unsafe than Lagos and Abuja.
However, the situation in these states is not comparable
with Borno State, which records 56.2 deaths per 100,000
inhabitants,” the report revealed.
The report further revealed that in 2016, the main causes of
violence in Nigeria in order of number of fatalities were crime
(4,127), political conflict (3,502), religious violence (3,361), and
accidents including road crashes (2,618).
