Nigeria Records 882 Attacks in June as Troops Kill 274 Insurgents, 792 People Die

By Victor Idajili

At least 792 people were killed across Nigeria in June 2026 following 882 security incidents recorded in all 36 states and the FCT, according to the latest security report by risk intelligence firm SARI Global.

The report, Nigeria Monthly Security Overview for June 2026 shows that while government forces killed  274 insurgents, non-state armed groups were responsible for the highest death toll.

The most severe flashpoint was the Monguno axis in northern Borno, covering Monguno, Cross Kauwa, Baga and Kukawa. 

SARI Global said ISWAP launched a coordinated campaign to cut off humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of IDPs. The tactics included nighttime raids on aid worker compounds and daytime attacks on supply trucks.

The deadliest single incident occurred on June 24, when ISWAP fighters breached the 20 Units Housing area in Monguno town and abducted an international NGO staff member and a local guard. The group, the report noted, appeared to have detailed intelligence on aid workers’ locations.

Days later, on June 29, fighters set up illegal checkpoints along the Monguno to Gajiram road and burned two NGO-contracted trucks. A similar arson attack had occurred on June 18. The report described the destruction of food cargo as a deliberate effort to scare vendors away and choke supply to garrison towns.

“As a result, commercial vendors are withdrawing from the route, raising the risk of delayed food distribution during the lean season,” the report said.

In another alarming attack, ISWAP raided Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba LGA on June 29, abducting students and teachers in broad daylight. SARI Global warned that such attacks expose state vulnerabilities and will likely be copied if not checked.

  
The first week recorded 217 incidents. Violence peaked in the second week, June 8–14, with 278 incidents — the highest for the month — and the highest fatalities. The most intense days were June 8, 11, 13 and 14, when insurgent attacks, banditry and heavy military operations happened simultaneously.

“June opened at an elevated baseline and escalated through its first half before settling into a violent plateau,” the report stated. “Lethality remained high into the fourth week due to sustained rural attacks in the North-West.”

 Government-affiliated forces: 375 incidents, 274 fatalities
Non-state armed actors: 224 incidents, 337 fatalities — 42.5% of all deaths 
Unknown actors: 54 incidents, 86 fatalities
Civilians: 124 incidents, 64 fatalities
Criminal actors: 64 incidents, 30 fatalities
Political actors: 39 incidents, 1 fatality

Despite initiating the most incidents, security forces recorded fewer deaths than insurgents, who killed more people in fewer attacks.

 
Borno: 109 incidents, 172 deaths — highest in the country, centered around Lake Chad, Sambisa, Gwoza and northern garrison towns
Zamfara: 63 incidents, driven by banditry,
Plateau, 51 
Katsina 44
Lagos: 40
FCT: 36
Rivers: 32
Oyo & Sokoto: 31 each
Niger: 29

By category, 369 incidents were linked to criminality and law enforcement. Armed conflict accounted for 297 incidents but carried the highest lethality.

67 insurgent ambushes and IED attacks were recorded in the North-West, including an IED on the Bagega-Anka road in Zamfara on June 15. The report noted the spread of IED tactics from the North-East to Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi.
In Banki, Bama on June 5, an INGO staff member was attacked during food distribution by an excluded beneficiary — what SARI called “beneficiary aggression,” a growing risk as food insecurity worsens. In the South, Lagos, Rivers and Oyo saw lower-lethality crimes, protests and road incidents. The FCT’s 36 incidents were mostly civil unrest tied to the approaching 2027 elections.

 
SARI Global projected that the gap between humanitarian need and response will widen. Deepening food insecurity will increase demand for aid, while ISWAP’s campaign continues to threaten supply routes.

The firm advised that schools and aid sites in LGAs near Sambisa should be treated as “elevated-threat settings” and urged NGOs not to rely solely on state protection.