Nigeria has climbed to the sixth position in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), moving up from eighth place in the previous two years.
The report, released on March 5, 2025, assessed the impact of terrorism worldwide, with Burkina Faso ranking as the most affected country, followed by Pakistan, Syria, Mali, and Niger.
The data showed that Nigeria recorded 565 terrorism-related deaths in 2024, continuing an upward trend in fatalities.
The number had previously dropped to 392 in 2022, the lowest since 2011, but it surged by 34% in 2023 and increased further in 2024.
While the global trend shows a decline in terrorism-related deaths since 2015, Nigeria’s situation appears to be worsening.
One of the key concerns raised in the report was the growing presence of IS-Sahel, a terrorist group that has expanded its reach beyond its usual areas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
In 2024, the group carried out 16 attacks in Nigeria, in addition to several others in neighboring countries.
The report also indicated that more countries are now experiencing terrorist attacks, with the number rising from 58 in 2023 to 66 in 2024, the highest level since 2018.
The Sahel region has become the most violent hotspot for terrorism, accounting for over half of the terrorism-related deaths worldwide last year.
The overall number of deaths linked to conflict in the region surpassed 25,000, with nearly 4,000 directly caused by terrorist attacks.
Despite Burkina Faso maintaining its position as the most impacted country, the number of attacks and fatalities there declined in 2024.
However, Niger experienced a sharp rise in terrorism-related deaths, nearly doubling to 930 fatalities.
This shift raises concerns that any progress in the fight against terrorism in the region might only be temporary.
The findings in the report paint a worrying picture of the security situation in Nigeria and the broader West African region.
With terrorist groups expanding their activities and more countries seeing a rise in attacks, tackling the growing threat remains a pressing challenge.
