114 ATTACKS LEAVE 1,932 DEAD IN N’EAST – REPORT

At least 1,932 people were killed across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states between April and June 2026, the latest humanitarian access snapshot by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has shown.

The figure is contained in OCHA’s 2026 Second Quarter Humanitarian Access Snapshot for the three North-East states compiled by the Humanitarian Access Working Group using data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and the UN Mine Action Service.

The report obtained by The PUNCH identified insecurity, violence against humanitarian workers and assets, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and a harsh physical environment as the major factors constraining aid operations in the region during the quarter.

A breakdown of the data showed that 60 explosive ordnance incidents were recorded in the three states during the quarter, a 10.5 per cent drop from the 67 logged in the same period of 2025.

Improvised explosive device incidents also fell to 54 from 65, a decline of 16.9 per cent, while civilian casualties linked to explosive ordnance and IEDs dropped to 54 from 163, a decrease of 66.9 per cent.

According to the report, the joint military operations by the Armed Forces of Nigeria and United States forces in northern and central Borno State contributed to the reduction in explosive-related incidents, as civilians also grew more cautious about movement due to heightened insecurity.

“The high-tempo nature of US and AFN military operations witnessed during this period contributed to a reduction in IED/EO incidents.

“Additionally, civilians aware of the heightened insecurity and threats by NSAGs moved around less during this period, contributing to a narrowing of the locations affected by IEDs this quarter,” the report read.

However, the same operations triggered reprisals by non-state armed groups on Monguno, Damasak, Damboa, Bama, Konduga, Marte, Dikwa, Kukawa, Mobbar and Gwoza local government areas in Borno State, as well as Gujba in Yobe and Madagali in Adamawa, many of which housed civilians recently relocated from other locations.

The report disclosed that health and nutrition partners suspended operations in Dapchi, Bursari Local Government Area, on April 4 after repeated attacks by non-state armed groups.

Similar attacks forced humanitarian partners to temporarily halt activities in Madagali town and scale down operations in Chibok in early April, following raids on both towns.

Nigerian troops repelled an attack on Bazamri village in Konduga Local Government Area on May 13, and another on Alou Dam, a few kilometres from Maiduguri, on May 31, the report said.

It added that a total of 11 airstrikes were carried out in Borno State during the quarter, the most prominent hitting Jilli Market, on the boundary between Gubio and Geidam local government areas, on April 12, with most other strikes concentrated in the Sambisa Forest and Mandara Mountains.

The report also flagged a rise in attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets compared to the first quarter of 2026.

It said a truck ferrying humanitarian supplies was attacked and looted near Gubio town on April 11, while two non-governmental organisation staff were abducted in Monguno town on June 24.

On June 29, government troops repelled an attack on a truck returning to Maiduguri after a delivery to Damasak. However, the driver was critically injured after running over an IED near Kareto in Mobbar Local Government Area.

On the physical environment, the report noted that a bridge collapsed due to flooding in Rann town on June 18, as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s 2026 seasonal climate prediction forecast an early and above-normal rainy season across most of the country.

It said bureaucratic impediments also weighed on the humanitarian response.

According to the report, the military banned the transport of fertiliser without permits in the three states to deny armed groups access to materials used in IED production.

The measure disrupted farmers preparing for the planting season, it revealed, adding that OCHA intervened to secure approvals for partners to move fertiliser to farmers in hard-to-reach areas, while a fuel price spike linked to the US-Israel conflict with Iran further raised the cost of transporting supplies.

On June 1, state authorities also stopped a truck carrying humanitarian supplies and demanded additional approvals for the cargo.

The report further raised concerns over the continued policy by states to close camps for internally displaced persons and relocate residents to their places of origin or other locations, noting that some of the relocated communities faced renewed attacks.

“The state authorities continued their policy of closing IDP camps and relocating displaced people to their places of origin or to other locations.

“Some of these relocations have seen increased insecurity challenges after the movements,” it said, citing Logamani in Ngala Local Government Area, attacked on October 19, 2025, and June 5, 2026; Kukawa town, attacked four times between August 2025 and March 2026; Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Government Area, attacked three times between June 2025 and March 2026; and Marte town, attacked in May 2025 and March 2026.

It noted that many of these locations remained extremely hard to reach because of insecurity and bureaucratic constraints, limiting the ability of its humanitarian partners to access people in need.

The report also noted a pattern of excessive use of force by Civilian Joint Task Force members, ex-combatants, and vigilante groups in IDP camps and host communities in Borno State, warning that without urgent intervention, the incidents risked escalating into wider insecurity and undermining long-term stabilisation efforts in the region.

It said, “Partners noted the heightened tensions resulted in a pattern of excessive use of force by Civilian Joint Task Force members, ex-combatants, and vigilante actors in IDP camps and host communities in Borno State.

“Without urgent intervention, these incidents risk escalating into wider insecurity, undermining humanitarian efforts, and long-term stabilisation.”