Top 5 gruesome murder cases in Nigeria’s recent history

•Nigeria is known to be one of the countries with high rate of insecurity

•Insecurity in the country has led to many murders over the years

•MyNigeria has listed some gruesome murder cases in Nigeria’s history 

Nigeria is known across the globe, to be one of the countries in Africa performing poorly in matters relating to security.

Over the years, the country has been faced with dealing with the terrorist group, Boko Haram, violent Fulani herdsmen, threat of succession, banditry and ritual killings.

This has made the country an unsafe place for its citizens, who are victims of attacks, kidnappings, and murder.

According to the GPI, Nigeria is the 15th most dangerous country in the world, and the 7th less safe in Africa.

MyNigeria has listed some gruesome murder cases in the country over the years.

The 8 missing kids of Nsugbe town

In 2001, Senator Ubanese Alphonsus Obi Igbeke arrested eight children between the ages of 9-12 from Nsugbe town in Anambra State. The Senator accused them of throwing a firecracker at him. He used his vigilante boys to torture them and later accused them of shooting guns.

The houses of the young children were searched, and nothing was found. But the Senator insisted, took them back to his house for more rounds of torture.

The Senator’s aged mum begged him to release those kids, as she called it an abomination, but he refused and continued to torture those little kids.

It is now 20 years since that incident happened. Those kids were not released to their parents, they haven’t been seen or heard from.

When confronted, the Senator said he handed over the kids to the Nigerian police after they confessed to owning guns. However, the Senator’s elder brother (who is deceased) revealed to the parents of the children that his younger brother (the Senator) used the children for blood rituals.

The slit throat of 70 civilians killed by Boko Haram

In November 2020, suspected Boko Haram members reportedly killed about 70 civilians, many of them were farmers working on a rice field. The victims were tied up and had their throats slit to death.

The United Nations described the incident as the most violent direct attack against civilians in that year and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Killing of Eunice Olawale

Eunice Olawale was a Nigerian Christian female preacher who was murdered by suspected Muslim extremists in the early hours of July 9, 2016, while preaching in Abuja.

She was a wife, a mother of seven, and was an indigene of Ekiti State.

Eunice usually left her home every morning at 5 a.m. before dawn to preach the gospel of Christ in the streets of Abuja. Few days before her murder, she overheard nearby Muslims comment about her preaching, that she should be chased away.

Her husband advised her to be careful after she informed him of what she had heard. After the incident, Eunice suspended her daily morning evangelism for about a week after which she resumed. A Muslim cleric who came to their house requested food for his Islamic school. After she stated that she didn’t have any food to give him at that time, he left.

Eunice was murdered on July 9, 2016, after she left the house at the usual time to preach. Media reports state that she was murdered between 5:00 am and 5:30 am.

Several reports stated that she was beheaded and stabbed. Other sources stated that she was stabbed multiple times in the stomach and the leg before bleeding to death. People heard her screaming “Blood of Jesus!” at about the time she was murdered.

How a jobseeker loses life: Murder of Hiny Umoren

A job-seeking graduate, Iniobong Hiny Umoren was abducted and murdered by Uduak Frank Akpan.

Uduak was able to carry out his heinous crime under the guise of offering her (Hiny) a job on social media.

With the help of Hiny’s friend, Umoh and other social media users, the murderer was tracked and finally arrested by the Nigerian Police.

Uduak confessed that four members of Akwa Ibom House Of Assembly, 3 members of the National Assembly and 9 powerful Nigerian Pastors are among those that buy different human parts for rituals from him, and that’s why he murders people to supply to them.

Lekki tollgate killing

On the night of 20th October, 2020, members of the Nigerian Army openly shot at peaceful End SARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos State, Nigeria.

According to reports, more than 12 lives were lost, several others missing, and much more severely injured.

The Nigerian government initially denied reports of any loss of lives, but later admitted that “only two persons were killed”.

The Nigerian Army who were also key actors in the shooting initially denied that the shooting ever happened and that none of its personnel were present at the toll gate. They reaffirmed their position that the video footages of its personnel shooting into the crowd were ‘photoshopped’.

A week later, the Nigerian Army admitted to an investigative panel in the presence of the press, that it had deployed soldiers to the toll gate on the orders of the governor of Lagos State.

The young and energetic youth lost their lives while peacefully protesting for a better state security system. The incident was at the full glare of the world as many footages were shared on social media with the hashtag #EndSARS.

Many world organizations and governments condemned the act by the Nigerian government and army.