Bulletin 2026-09UCDP data through GED 26.1, Candidate Events 26.0.9Changes in the data

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Events and deaths in organized violence, as UCDP records them

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Nigeria: events and estimated deaths in May 2025

Monthly reportDataset: UCDP GEDData through

Search engines are asked not to list this page. They list a monthly report when three things are true. The page of the country is listed. The month is one of the last 12 months. The month has 20 or more events.

UCDP recorded 85 events of organized violence in Nigeria in May 2025. The best estimate of deaths in these events is 648. The low estimate is 545 and the high estimate is 679. UCDP counts 161 of these deaths as deaths of civilians. The count for April 2025 was 68 events.

Among the 26 months with a report for Nigeria, May 2025 has the 10th highest count of events. Nigeria holds 4 percent of the events that UCDP recorded in all countries with a page in May 2025.

Not all events in UCDP Candidate will make it into the final UCDP GED and new events will be added. The UCDP Candidate is a dataset containing events that have a high probability of being included in the final annual version of UCDP GED.

An incident where armed force was used by an organized actor against another organized actor, or against civilians, resulting in at least 1 direct death at a specific location and a specific date

UCDP's words. Source: UCDP Candidate Events Dataset Codebook, version 1.5 (Introduction) and UCDP GED Codebook, version 26.1 (section 2, the definition of an event), copied on .

This page rests on UCDP GED 26.1 and UCDP Candidate Events 26.0.9, with data through . The figures from January 2026 are from Candidate Events. Candidate Events are preliminary and UCDP revises them.

The pages give counts and their sources. They give no travel, security or safety advice. A count of events is not a measure of danger.

Regions

The table has 10 regions at most.

Table 1. Nigeria, May 2025: events and estimated deaths by region, in name order
RegionEventsEstimated deaths
Adamawa state318
Anambra state32
Benue state1593
Borno state34371
Enugu state21
Imo state231
Plateau state932
Sokoto state219
Taraba state456
Yobe state514
Figure 1. Events in Nigeria, May 2025. The map shows 85 events with 648 estimated deaths. One dot is one event at the place that UCDP gives. When a source names no exact place, UCDP puts the event at the centre of a region or of the country. The area of a dot follows the best estimate of deaths. The largest dot is for 330 deaths or more.1 death10 deaths100 deathsOutlines: Natural Earth, with the first-level areas of the UCDP data. An outline shows where the events are. It is not a statement about a border.

Events

The table lists the events with 10 or more estimated deaths. The CSV file of Nigeria has each event.

Table 2. Nigeria, May 2025: events with 10 or more estimated deaths (16 of 85 events), in the order of their dates
DatePlaceSides, as UCDP writes themType of violenceEstimated deathsLowHigh
2 May 2025Gujba lga, Yobe stateGovernment of Nigeria; ISState-based111111
8 May 2025Imo stateIPOB; CiviliansOne-sided30030
10 May 2025Isa lga, Sokoto stateGroup named for a person (name not shown); CiviliansOne-sided121212
15 May 2025Kukawa lga, Borno stateJAS; CiviliansOne-sided575757
16 May 2025Hong lga, Adamawa stateIS; CiviliansOne-sided121213
17 May 2025Agatu lga, Benue stateAgatu; FulaniNon-state15015
22 May 2025Dikwa lga, Borno stateGovernment of Nigeria; ISState-based191919
23 May 2025Damboa lga, Borno stateGovernment of Nigeria; ISState-based333333
23 May 2025Karim Lamidu lga, Taraba stateFulani; MungaNon-state212121
23 May 2025Karim Lamidu lga, Taraba stateFulani; MungaNon-state212121
25 May 2025Gwer West lga, Benue stateFulani; TivNon-state101010
25 May 2025Gwer West lga, Benue stateFulani; TivNon-state202020
26 May 2025Mobbar lga, Borno stateJAS; CiviliansOne-sided23023
27 May 2025Marte lga, Borno stateGovernment of Nigeria; ISState-based171717
27 May 2025Marte lga, Borno stateGovernment of Nigeria; ISState-based515151
30 May 2025Gwoza lga, Borno stateGovernment of Nigeria; ISState-based606064

Names are as UCDP writes them, with two labels that the site writes. UCDP does not identify some actors: the site writes "Actor not identified by UCDP" for each of them. UCDP names some groups for a person: the site writes "Group named for a person (name not shown)" for each of them. A line with a label can hold more than one actor.

Actors, as UCDP names them

Names as UCDP writes them.

Table 3. Nigeria: actors, as UCDP names them, in the events of May 2025, in name order
Name, as UCDP writes itEventsEstimated deaths in these events
Agatu115
Birom722
Black Axe34
Eyie11
Farmers (Nigeria)11
Fulani28179
Fulani, Jukun13
Government of Nigeria38313
Group named for a person (name not shown)216
Herders (Nigeria)11
Igbo11
Ikot-Offiong12
IPOB734
IS38322
JAS487
Maphite11
Munga348
Mushere210
Oku Iboku12
SVC12
Tiv1586
Yan Gora13

An event has two sides, so one event can be in two rows. The deaths are the deaths in the events of a side. The table does not say which side caused a death. Names are as UCDP writes them, with two labels that the site writes. UCDP does not identify some actors: the site writes "Actor not identified by UCDP" for each of them. UCDP names some groups for a person: the site writes "Group named for a person (name not shown)" for each of them. A line with a label can hold more than one actor.

Type of violence

Table 4. Nigeria: events by type of violence, May 2025
Type of violenceEventsShare of events
State-based armed conflict3845%
Non-state conflict3541%
One-sided violence against civilians1214%

The glossary has the UCDP definition of each type.

All months

Table 5. Monthly reports of Nigeria, newest first: events and estimated deaths
MonthEventsEstimated deathsDataset
September 2026143P451PCandidate Events
August 2026161P992PCandidate Events
July 2026116P551PCandidate Events
June 2026166P614PCandidate Events
May 2026145P1,010PCandidate Events
April 2026182P1,034PCandidate Events
March 2026113P698PCandidate Events
February 2026108P712PCandidate Events
January 2026142P719PCandidate Events
December 202559358GED
November 202544340GED
October 202551255GED
September 202569336GED
August 202569262GED
July 202567222GED
June 202568469GED
May 202585648GED
April 202568401GED
March 202559248GED
February 202546191GED
January 202547428GED
December 202427182GED
November 202457255GED
October 202452330GED
September 202439235GED
August 202430408GED

P Preliminary. The figure is from UCDP Candidate Events, and UCDP revises these events. Search engines list a report of a month in the last 12 months that has 20 or more events. The other reports stay online and ask search engines not to list them.

Nigeria: all figures

Cite this page

ConflictStats. Nigeria: events and estimated deaths in May 2025. https://conflictstats.com/country/nigeria/month/2025-05/. Source: Uppsala Conflict Data Program, UCDP GED 26.1 and UCDP Candidate Events 26.0.9. Data through .

The address of this page does not change. UCDP asks for a citation of its publications: Data sources and licences has it.