Nigeria Among Top 5 Countries With Highest Casualties Of Landmine Explosion – Report

The residents of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have found themselves being decimated and endangered by strategem of terrorism war deployed to neutralising the very despicable insurgents who have become a spectre of horror to their existence, Ekohotblog understands

They above development is the conclusion contained in a report by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) titled ‘Hidden Scars – The Landmine Crisis in North-east Nigeria’, the country has one of the highest casualty figures worldwide.

Battered by the pangs of hunger and hardship and spurred by the existency of earning a living, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in north-east Nigeria inadvertently make foray into war zone and unsafe territories and often find themselves wedged in an area dotted with landmine explosions

According the report released on Monday by the group, Over 1,000 persons in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have been reportedly killed or injured by explosives left behind during operations involving Boko Haram, other armed groups and security officers..

“Explosive ordnance pose a dangerous threat to the many internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and returnees transiting throughout the region. As IDPs and refugees migrate or return home – often through unfamiliar terrain – they are at significant risk of entering areas contaminated by landmines and other explosive ordnance,” the report reads.

“Likewise, returning to villages that are contaminated by explosive ordnance puts returnee communities at risk, as well as limiting the degree to which they can begin rebuilding homes and livelihoods.”

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MAG, a global humanitarian and advocacy organisation that “finds, removes and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs from places affected by conflict”, said Nigeria is among the top five countries in the world with the highest casualty rates from landmines

The group also disclose that Nigeria is the first country in Africa to have encountered new use of locally-manufactured landmines on this scale.

MAG noted that the situation is further aggravated by the decade-long insurgency in north-east Nigeria.

“Research by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has uncovered 1,052 casualties from 697 accidents involving landmines and unexploded bombs between January 2016 and August 2020 – although this number is thought to be even higher due to underreporting,” the report reads.

“A staggering 1,052 people have been reported to be killed or injured by explosive ordnance since 2016 across the most afflicted north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

“The crisis hit a peak of one casualty every day for the first 15 weeks of 2020 (113 casualties were recorded) – Casualty figures averaged one person per day in the first fifteen weeks of 2020, with Nigeria among the top five countries in the world with the highest casualty rates from landmines.

“The devastating impact of the conflict on the physical and mental wellbeing, living standards, and capacity for resilience and recovery of populations in north-east Nigeria is compounded by the dangers posed by landmines and other explosive ordnance.

“Intense fighting between Nigerian security forces and Boko Haram has left widespread contamination of explosive ordnance throughout the region. Locally-manufactured anti-personnel landmines have been deployed on roads, infields and also in urban areas.”

According to the report, children often mistake the devices for toys or metal scrap that they could sell, consequently falling prey to the explosions.

“These devices present a particularly lethal threat to girls and boys, who often mistake them as household items or toys while playing outside,” MAG noted.