Seven months to the 2027 general elections, worsening insecurity across Nigeria is casting a shadow over preparations for what should be a watershed democratic exercise, with a staggering 5,272 people killed in just five months amid a resurgence of terrorist attacks and banditry.
Before the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 general elections, rising insecurity across parts of Nigeria has become a major source of national concern, undermining public confidence in the electoral process. The country’s security situation has continued to deteriorate with increasing attacks on civilians, schools, and military formations, raising serious questions about whether the elections will hold as scheduled.
Data from the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 showed that Nigeria recorded 171 terror attacks in 2025, representing a 43 per cent increase from the 120 attacks recorded in 2024. Terror-related deaths also rose from 513 in 2024 to about 750 in 2025, marking a 46 per cent increase. Over the past five months, 5,272 people have been killed in various security incidents across the country.
The resurgence of terrorist attacks, increasing cases of kidnapping and banditry, and repeated assaults on both civilians and security formations have raised questions about the capacity of security agencies to guarantee a peaceful electoral process. Many Nigerians are beginning to question whether the elections will hold as scheduled, with persistent attacks on civilians and military formations exposing weaknesses in the country’s security response.
INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan has said the scale of insecurity in several parts of the country is drowning out public confidence and presenting a potent threat to the conduct of free and fair elections. He identified issues such as political violence, the proliferation of illegal arms, voter intimidation, cyber manipulation, misinformation, and attacks on electoral infrastructure as priority concerns requiring proactive attention.
Amupitan warned that rising insecurity, electoral violence, and vote trading threaten public confidence ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections. The INEC Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, stated that these factors could undermine public confidence and pose risks to national security.
Escalating attacks by armed bandit groups, as well as intensified violence by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), leave civilians in Nigeria at risk of atrocity crimes. The persistent violence has left civilians vulnerable to abduction, killing, and displacement across multiple regions.
The worsening security situation has continued to expose how weak Nigeria’s security response mechanisms are, and heightened fears that insecurity could discourage voter participation if not urgently addressed. The death toll has risen dramatically, with recent attacks in Kwara State killing nearly 200 people in a single incident.
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