In the last ten months, the Nigeria Police Force lost at least 89 police officers in various incidents across 20 states, with attacks by bandits, gunmen and terrorists accounting for the majority of the deaths.
The deaths, recorded between January and October 2026, reflect the dangers confronting police personnel deployed to tackle insecurity in different parts of the country, particularly in states battling banditry, terrorism and armed violence.
Data compiled by Daily Trust from media reports and confirmed by police authorities showed that the officers died in different circumstances, including armed attacks, road accidents and shootings involving fellow policemen.
The figures indicate that police personnel were killed in encounters with criminal groups operating in several parts of the country, with the North-West and North-East bearing a significant proportion of the casualties.
Yobe State recorded the highest number of casualties, with 17 officers killed during the period. Zamfara and Kebbi followed with 14 deaths each, highlighting the growing security challenges confronting police personnel in parts of the North.
Katsina recorded five deaths, while Borno and Taraba had four each. Rivers, Sokoto, Plateau, Enugu, Lagos and Imo states recorded three deaths apiece.
Oyo, Anambra, Abia, Kaduna and Kogi recorded two deaths each, while Adamawa, Kano and Niger states had one death respectively.
A breakdown of the circumstances surrounding the killings showed that bandits were responsible for 35 deaths, while gunmen accounted for 29. Boko Haram terrorists killed 22 officers, while two others were killed by Lakurawa terrorists.
The figures also included three officers allegedly shot by fellow policemen, four killed in road incidents involving accidents and hit-and-run drivers, one killed by kidnappers, one by hoodlums and another by thugs.
The figures show that attacks by bandits alone accounted for more than one-third of the reported deaths, while the combined casualties attributed to bandits, gunmen and Boko Haram terrorists represented the overwhelming majority.
Some of the deadliest attacks occurred in Kebbi State, where 10 policemen were killed during a gun battle with suspected bandits at the Rafin Makuku axis of Sakaba Local Government Area on August 10.
The officers were among police personnel deployed to intercept a heavily armed group of suspected bandits reportedly moving between Zamfara and Kebbi states.
According to the police, the incident occurred at about 9:25 a.m. on Monday, August 10, when operatives intercepted the suspected bandits and engaged them in a gun battle.
The police said the encounter resulted in the neutralisation of 17 suspected bandits, while four motorcycles belonging to the attackers were destroyed. Two other police officers sustained injuries, while two civilians also lost their lives during the confrontation.
The Nigeria Police Force subsequently mourned the fallen officers and pledged to sustain operations against banditry in the area.
Following the incident, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, deployed a high-level delegation led by Deputy Inspector-General of Police Umar Shehu Nadada to Kebbi State to engage the state government and other stakeholders on measures to strengthen security and prevent further attacks.
The delegation was also expected to reinforce ongoing operations, protect vulnerable communities and support efforts to restore peace in the affected areas.
The Force later held a memorial service in Abuja in honour of the 10 officers, who were members of the Special Intervention Squad. The incident underscored the exposure of police tactical teams to heavily armed criminal groups during operations in remote communities.
Yobe State also recorded 17 police deaths during the period, following a terrorist attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area.
The officers, who were undergoing specialised operational training at the institution, were killed when terrorists launched a coordinated assault on the facility from multiple directions.
The attack occurred in the early hours of May 8, although the police publicly confirmed the deaths of the 17 officers on May 16.
Confirming the incident, the then police spokesman, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, said the attack claimed the lives of several security personnel, including the police officers.
“The officers, who were undergoing specialised operational training at the institution, lost their lives when the militants launched a coordinated attack on the facility from multiple directions,” Placid said in a statement.
He said the assault occurred at about 1:15 a.m., adding that several soldiers were also killed while repelling the attackers. However, he did not disclose the number of military casualties.
The officers were participating in advanced counter-terrorism and tactical training at the military institution when the facility came under attack. Their deaths raised concerns about the vulnerability of even security personnel undergoing specialised training to attacks by insurgents.
The Nigerian Army had also reported attacks on military formations in the area, while military authorities said troops engaged the attackers and repelled the assault.
Benue State equally recorded deadly encounters between security operatives and armed men during the period.
On September 10, four policemen were killed during a gun battle with gunmen at Ayilamo community in Logo Local Government Area of the state.
The attack, which also claimed the lives of seven civilians, occurred when suspected armed bandits invaded the community, prompting police operatives deployed to the area to engage them.
The Benue State Police Command said the officers fought back against the attackers, successfully repelling the assault and forcing the gunmen to retreat into the surrounding forest.
“The operatives stood firm in defence of the community and successfully repelled the attack, forcing the criminal elements to retreat into the surrounding forest with heavy casualties in the early hours of 11th September 2026,” the command said in a statement.
The police identified the slain officers as Paul Ina, Mohammed Yusuf, Oge Ikechukwu and Edeh Andrew.
Their bodies were subsequently recovered from surrounding bushes during search and rescue operations, according to the command.
The seven civilians also killed in the attack were recovered and deposited at a mortuary.
The police said the operation involved personnel of the Police Mobile Force, tactical teams and conventional police officers, who engaged the attackers in a gun battle lasting several hours before the assailants retreated.
The incident further illustrated the risks faced by police personnel deployed to communities affected by persistent armed attacks, where officers are often required to defend residents while confronting heavily armed assailants.
Beyond casualties arising from attacks by armed groups, the data also revealed deaths resulting from shootings involving police personnel.
In January, Inspector Sani Malumfashi was allegedly shot dead by a fellow police officer at Intels, Onne, in Rivers State.
Similarly, in October, Corporal Amos Yusuf reportedly shot his colleague, Corporal Grace Onimisi, dead at their residence in Asco Camp, Ajaokuta, Kogi State, before taking his own life.
These incidents present a different dimension to the deaths recorded during the period, showing that the dangers confronting police personnel are not limited to encounters with armed criminals and insurgents but also include fatal incidents involving colleagues.
The casualties recorded across the 20 states also point to the wide geographical spread of the security challenges facing the country. While banditry and terrorism remain major threats in parts of the North, the reported deaths in states across the South and other regions show that police personnel continue to face risks in different operational environments.
For the Nigeria Police Force, the loss of 89 personnel in ten months represents a significant human cost, particularly at a time when security agencies are under pressure to contain kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes.
The figures also raise questions about the protection available to officers deployed to high-risk operations, the adequacy of equipment and operational support, and the measures in place to safeguard personnel confronting armed groups.
With 89 officers reported killed between January and October, the scale of the losses underscores the dangers faced by those entrusted with maintaining law and order and protecting lives and property across the country.
