A coalition of women and civil society groups under #SecureOurLives is compiling the names of the hundreds of Nigerians killed across the country with the idea of building a database for victims of conflict and insecurity in the country.
The project which commenced in April 2021 has since verified the names of 1, 499 victims across the country which it will make public on Tuesday.
A member of the coalition, Buky Williams, of the Plan for Action Group said, “When we read the news, or we look at what is happening, we forget that there is a person behind what has happened and we forget that it is happening to people’s families, people’s friends, people’s loved ones and by saying their names we are honouring them and saying that we didn’t need to lose them if we had put in place early warning systems, and if the security structure had responded to situations like kidnappings, the safety of our schools, all of these critical things. We don’t want this to continue. We can’t continue to lose loved ones. It’s not like there is no solution, it’s just that we have not prioritised this enough.”
Another member of the coalition, Ayisha Osori, said it is surprising that Nigeria does not have a database of victims of the violence that has been engulfing the country over the years.
“We noticed that there is a gap in keeping records of victims. Nowhere is there a comprehensive list of people affected by the insecurity and conflicts so we thought we should start putting one together,” she said.
Ms Osori said they will eventually build a “Red Register” which will be publicly available online and will be updated with the names of every Nigerian killed in conflict or as a result of insecurity.
“By October, we hope to put on an exhibition that will capture the enormity of the losses we have suffered, something that will be symbolic of the names we have been able to verify,” she said.
She added that they are in the process of verifying hundreds of victims like those killed during the Shiite/Military clashes in Kaduna and those killed in the violence in Southern Kaduna. The names will be added to the list when the verification process is completed.
READ THE COMPLETE STATEMENT BELOW
Nigerian Women’s Call:
End the Insecurity & Bloodshed
#SecureOurLivesNow
Nigeria is one of the most unstable and terrorized countries in the world. We are currently ranked third in the world with a death toll of 25,711 people killed between 2010-2019. This does not include those murdered, kidnapped, assaulted, raped, and abducted since 2020. Nigerians are gradually being paralyzed with the fear of violence, unable to farm, travel, socialize or go to school and even in our homes, we are still not safe.
Women and Children bear the major brunt arising from wars and conflict and are often time the worst hit, we are therefore concerned about this spate of violence pervading the nation, we call on the government to TAKE ACTION to end the insecurity and bloodshed.
In its Mass Atrocities Report 2020, Global Rights Nigeria estimated that 4,556 Nigerians were killed in 2020, especially in the restive northeastern part of the country. In the first quarter of 2021, over 220 kidnapping incidents were recorded with at least 2,114 victims. In the same first quarter of 2021, over 600 schools closed across six states in the North. Violence is raging in Abia, Benue, Imo, Kebbi, Niger, Ondo and Oyo due to non-state actor violence, insurrection, the proliferation of weapons, farmer-herder conflict and state security operations. The death of Shekau and Deby, herald the terror of a more organized Islamic West Africa Province and hundreds of thousands are displaced from their homes and means of livelihood while women and children are being captured for rape & indoctrinated into a life of violence.
Nigeria’s security forces are stretched, dogged with allegations of corruption and abuse and the country is awash with small arms and light weapons in the middle of an economic recession, high unemployment and food insecurity. The increasing rate of crime and violence is alarming and of great concern to everyone. Few can sleep soundly for fear and the uncertainty is unbearable. Nigeria is inflicted with a thousand cuts and hemorrhaging and we need to stop the bleeding and needless deaths. The insecurity endangers the continued existence of the country, and every citizen is at risk.
The demands:
- Reform community security policing: Engage and involve states and communities in security management especially in security provisioning and ensure state and community needs and risks influence the deployment of security assets.
- Setup early warning mechanisms and ensure women’s participation in peace and security decision making: Establish an early warning and early response mechanism to track in real time when an incident occurred and when state security agents respond. Incidences of attackers spending hours killing and maiming citizens in communities must end. Build on women’s indigenous knowledge to involve them in the community peace architecture as mediators and negotiators.
- Daily security briefings: Nigerians need the assurance that the attacks around the country are being recorded and addressed collaboratively by relevant state actors under the supervision of the President. During the COVID19 pandemic, we had daily briefings; insecurity is killing more people and should be accorded a higher level of urgency.
- Transparency & accountability on security spending: The link between our huge defense budget and the safety and security of Nigerians must be reinforced. Nigerians demand accountability from state security forces and governors on how defense budgets and security votes are implemented.
- National response to kidnapping: Until the menace of kidnapping is brought under control, all kidnapping cases should be handled centrally, aligned to a strategy/policy to be implemented by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
We the undersigned organisations are members of the Feminist Womanifesto Group:
9jafeminista
Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls
Above Whispers Foundation
Above Whispers Media Foundation
Action Aid Nigeria
ActionAid International
ACTS Generation GBV
Ade Grange Child Foundation
ADEM Community & Human Development Foundation
Adinya Arise Foundation (AAF)
Advocate for Health and Development Initiative
African Women's Initiative/ Verity CNET
African Women’s Initiative (AWI)
Ajegunle Community Project
Ajoke Ayisat Afolabi Foundation
Alliances for Africa (AfA)
Aminchi Women Cooperative Society
Amnesty International Nigeria
ARDA Development Communication Inc.
Arise Nigerian Woman Foundation.
ASWHAN
ATATA Development and Empowerment Foundation (ADEF)
BLECCA Foundation
Bring Back Our Girls
Briskila Emefesi Women Foundation (BEWOF)
Cece Yara Foundation
Cedar Seed Foundation
CEE-HOPE Nigeria
Center For Economic Empowerment And Gender Activities (CEEGA)
Centre For Alternative Development And Self-Enhancement (CEADESE NG)
Centre For Health And Development In Africa(CHEDA)
Centre for Nonviolence and Gender Advocacy in Nigeria (CENGAIN)
Centre For Peace Education And Community Development
Centre For Women’s Health And Information (CEWHIN)
Change Managers International Network
Charity Women Spring of Salvation
Chedal Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society
Child Care and Adult Protection Initiative (CCAPI)
Choung-Dung Women Association.
Christian Women For Excellence And Empowerment In Nigerian Society (CWEENS)
Christian Women In Nigerian Politics
Citizens Center for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR)
Community and Youth Development
Community Education Advancement of Peace And Development Initiative (CEAPDI)
Community Initiative for Healthy And Peaceful Society
Community Life Project (CLP)
Community Rescue Initiative (CRI)
Community Women Initiatives
Country Associates Network
Courageous People Health and Development Initiative (CPHDL)
Crestville Development Foundation
Development in Practice Gender and Entrepreneurial Initiative (DIPGEI)
Diaspora Womanifesto2019
Dinidari Foundation
Dorothy Njemanze Foundation
Dream Alive Women And Orphans Support Foundation (DAWOS Foundation)
Echoes Of Women In Africa Initiatives
Edo Women's Development Initiative
Education As A Vaccine (EVA)
EiE Nigeria
Emerge Women
Empowerment And Action Research Centre
Equality Through Education Foundation (ETEF)
Equity Advocates (EA)
Equity Advocates and The Woman Today Newspaper TWT
Equity Advocates/ The Woman Today Newspaper
FACICP Disability Plus
FAME Foundation
Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja
Federal Ministry of Women Affairs
Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON)
Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN)
Federation of Paralegal Network (FEDPAN)
Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)
Fembridge Development Initiative (FEDI)
FIDA Nigeria
First Future Leadership
First Future Leadership Company/Gte
FOMWAN
Ford Foundation
Forward in Action For Education, Poverty And Malnutrition (FACE-PAM)
FRED
Gender Action Awareness Trust
Gender and Constitution Reform Network (GECORN)
Gender and Development Action (GADA)
Gender and Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative(GERI)
Gender Awareness Trust (GAT)
Gender Development Initiative
Gender Equality Center
Gender Equality, Peace and Development Centre
Gender Equality, Peace and Development Centre
Gender Technical Unit (GTU)
Girl Child Advocacy and Education Initiatives
Girl Child Africa
Girl Child Education, Care & Rehabilitation
Girl Education Rehabilitation and Care (GERAC)
Girls Power Initiative (GPI)
Global Hope for Women and Children Foundation (GLOHWOC)
Green Spring Development Initiative
Habiba Dangana (Hadis) Foundation
Heal Disability Initiative
Health Education and Human Rights Advocacy Initiative
Health Reform Foundation Of Nigeria(HERFON)
HEIR Women Development
Help Initiative for Social Justice & Humanitarian Development
Hope For New Life
Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development IRIAD
Inter Africa Committee (IAC)
Inter Gender Peace Foundation
International Action Network On Small Arms Women Network Of
International Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida Nigeria)
International Hairstylists, Barber and Body Therapists (IHSTOBAN)
International Society of Media In Public Health (ISMPH)
International Women Communication Centre
IRIAD
Iyaniwura Children Care Foundation
Jamatul Nasir Islam, Women Wing
Jana Health Foundation
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC)
Justice Development and Peace Mission (JDPM)
K/Mashi Gamji Women
Kebetkache Women Development And Resources Centre
Kimpact Initiatives
Kudirat Initiative For Democracy (KIND)
Kungiyar Tallafin Mata Development Initiative
League Of Queens International Empowerment
League of Women Voters of Nigeria NILOWV
LEDAP
Lift Initiative
MBULA Women Association
Media & Teens Network.
Media Concern Initiative
MODAC
Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome
More Women in Politics
My Voice My Future NGO
Nasrul – Lahi-L- Faith Society (NASFAT)
National Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ)
National Centre for Women Development
National Council of Women Societies (NCWS)
NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women
Neighbourhood Care -Well Foundation
Network of Reproductive Health Journalists Of Nigeria, NRHJN
Next Initiative for Gender Actions (NIGA)
NGAS Women Farmers’ Cooperative Society
Nigeria Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ)
Nigeria For Women Project
Nigeria Labour Congress, Women Committee
Nigeria Union Of Teachers (NUT)
Nigerian Express
Nigerian Women Politics Forum
Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NTWF)
Ogayem Merciful Care and Support Initiatives (OMCSI)
Ogun Women Alive
Olive Community Development Initiatives
Onomese Foundation
Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)
Osi Joe Touching Lives Initiative
Ovie Brume Foundation
Partners West Africa
Peasant Dragnet
Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI)
Project Alert on Violence Against Women
Quinnipiac University
Ray of Hope Community Foundation
Relief Development Initiative Kaduna
Responsible Citizenship and Human Development Initiative
Responsible Citizenship and Human Development Initiative
She Forum Africa
Sheforshe Africa Initiative
Shout Global Health
Small-scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria (SWOFON)
South- South Professional Women Association.
Stand to End Rape (STER)
Stephanie Peace Building Development Foundation
Support For Needy Children And Women Initiative (SUNCHI)
SWOFON National Abuja
Taraba State University
TechHerNG
The Inclusion Project (TIP)
The Priceless Jewels Foundation
THR Media – HERFESSIONS INITIATIVE
Tonia Bruised But Not Broken Foundation
Transformation and Development Center (TDC)
Transition Monitoring Group
Tunde & Friends Foundation (TAFF)
UC Women Commission
UN Women
Vision Spring Initiatives (VSI)
Voice Of Ogun Women (VOW)
West African Network for Peace
Widows Development Organization (WIDO)
Woman-Being Concern Nigeria
Women & Youth Awareness Empowerment Network (WOYAEN)
Women Advocacy, HIV Prevention and Other Diseases (WAHPOD)
Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC)
Women Aid Collective
Women and Youth Empowerment for Advancement and Health Initiative
Women Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON)
Women education advocacy and development Initiatives (WEADI)
Women Empowerment and Initiative Development
Women Empowerment and Reproductive Health Centre (WERHC)
Women Empowerment Education and peace building lnitiative (WEPBI )
Women Environmental Programme
Women Farmers Alliance
Women For Peace And Gender Equality Initiative (WOPEGEE)
Women for Women International
Women Foundation Initiative
Women Foundation of Nigeria (WFN)
Women in Action for Positive Development and Gender Enhancement Center (WAPGADEC)
Former Women Action Organization (WAO)
Women In Africa Initiative
Women In Agriculture
Women In Mining
Women in Politics Forum
Women Information Network (WINET)
Women Initiative for Democracy and Empowerment (WIDE)
Women Law and Development Initiative (WOLDI)
Women Law Development Center of Nigeria (WLDCN)
Women Lead Agric
Women League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
Women of Vision Development Initiative
Women Protection Organization (WOPO)
WOMEN RADIO 91.7
Women Wing of The Christian Association Of Nigeria (WOWICAN)
Women, Infants and Children Care Initiative (WICCI)
Women, Youths and Children Advancement Program
Women Aid Collective (WACOL)
Women Optimum Development Foundation-WODEF
Women Right to Education Programme (WREP)
Women’s Crisis Centre Owerri
Women’s Rights and Health Project
Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP)
Working Moms Africa
Wumi Asubiaro Dada
Youth Future Savers Initiative
Zonta International Club of Lagos 1
