At least 98 police officers have died in different incidents across 21 states between January and October 2026, data compiled by Daily Trust has shown.
The data was compiled from news reports confirmed by police authorities.
The deaths involved attacks by bandits, gunmen and terrorists, as well as road accidents and shootings by fellow police officers.
Yobe recorded the highest number of casualties, with 17 officers killed, followed by Zamfara and Kebbi states with 14 each.
Katsina recorded five deaths, while Borno and Taraba recorded four each. Rivers, Sokoto, Plateau, Enugu, Lagos and Imo recorded three deaths each.
Oyo, Anambra, Abia, Kaduna and Kogi recorded two deaths each, while Adamawa, Kano and Niger recorded one respectively.
A breakdown of the figures showed that bandits were responsible for 35 deaths, gunmen 29 and Boko Haram terrorists 22. Two officers were killed by Lakurawa terrorists.
Other deaths included three officers 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.
Some of the deadliest attacks occurred in Kebbi State, where 10 policemen were killed in a gun duel with bandits at Rafin Makuku axis of Sakaba Local Government Area on August 10.
Police authorities said the incident occurred at about 9:25 a.m. on Monday, August 10, 2026, when police operatives intercepted the suspected bandits who were moving between Zamfara and Kebbi states.
The police said 17 suspected bandits were neutralised during the encounter, while four motorcycles belonging to the attackers were destroyed.
In Yobe, 17 officers were reportedly killed during an attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Buni Yadi on May 16.
“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,” then police spokesman, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, said in a statement.
He said several soldiers were also killed, though he did not give a figure for military casualties.
Benue also recorded several attacks, including the killing of four policemen during a gun duel with gunmen at Ayilamo community in Logo Local Government Area, on September 10.
“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 Benue State Police Command said in a statement.
The command identified the slain officers as Paul Ina, Mohammed Yusuf, Oge Ikechukwu and Edeh Andrew.
Their bodies were recovered from surrounding bushes during search and rescue operations, the police said.
Seven civilians were also killed. Their bodies were recovered after the attack and deposited at a mortuary, according to the command.
In January, Inspector Sani Malumfashi was allegedly shot dead by a fellow officer at Intels, Onne in Rivers State.
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.
(Source: Daily Trust with modified headline)
