Nigeria is facing a severe surge in violence, accidents and other deadly incidents, with at least 1,258 people reported killed from January 1 to February 10, 2026 an average of roughly 27 deaths per day according to an analysis of media reports.
The casualties span a wide range of causes, including terror attacks, communal clashes, armed robbery, cult violence and deadly road and water accidents.
While security forces say they have neutralised hundreds of armed extremists, the country has also lost 14 soldiers and 10 police officers in the same period.
Nigeria’s federal government says it is intensifying security operations nationwide and claims “significant gains” against criminal elements.
However, analysts, civil society groups and religious organisations are urging a deeper overhaul of the nation’s security strategy, citing weak intelligence, porous borders and chronic community-level tensions as core drivers of the drivers of the violence.
The deadly first weeks of 2026 come amid continuing conflict across Nigeria, including heinous attacks that have drawn international attention such as recent gunmen assaults in northern communities that resulted in both killings and mass abductions of civilians.
