By Deborah Nnamdi
Nigeria has been ranked the fourth most terrorized country in the world in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index released by the Institute for Economics & Peace.
The report revealed that 750 Nigerians were killed in terrorist attacks in 2025, representing a 46 per cent increase from the previous year. It also recorded 171 terrorist incidents in 2025, up from 120 incidents in 2024.
According to the index, Nigeria moved up two places from sixth position in 2024 to fourth in 2025, trailing only Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The report identified Islamic State West Africa Province( ISWAP) and Boko Haram as the groups responsible for most of the attacks in Nigeria in 2025. It stated that fatalities linked to the two groups accounted for 80 per cent of all terrorism-related deaths in the country during the year.
The North-East remained the epicentre of extremist violence, with Borno State alone accounting for 67 per cent of total attacks and 72 per cent of all deaths recorded in 2025. However, the report noted that insecurity has spread to the North-West, where bandit groups carried out mass abductions and rural raids, as well as to parts of the Middle Belt, where farmer-herder clashes intensified.
Civilians were the most targeted group, accounting for 67 per cent of fatalities in 2025, while military personnel represented 19 per cent. The report observed that attacks on civilians have steadily increased over the past five years, reflecting a shift in terrorist targeting patterns.
The index stated, “In 2025, Nigeria rose two places in the index, reflecting the significant increase in terrorist activity in the country. Terror attacks in Nigeria increased by 43 per cent this year, from 120 incidents in 2024 to 171 in 2025. Deaths from terrorism have continued to rise, increasing by 46 per cent to 750 in 2025. This marks the highest death toll since 2020.”
Reacting to the report, the Peoples Democratic Party said the findings reflect the harsh reality faced by Nigerians. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, described insecurity under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as worsening and evolving into what he termed a “lucrative, trillion-naira economy.” He urged the Federal Government to adopt a whole-of-society approach aimed at achieving both immediate cessation of violence and long-term peace.
Similarly, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticized the administration, citing the 43 per cent rise in attacks and growing civilian casualties, particularly in Borno State. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the continued activities of ISWAP and Boko Haram, alongside the emergence of new groups such as Lakurawa, point to deeper governance challenges rather than isolated security lapses.
The ADC proposed a three-pronged strategy to address the crisis, including the establishment of a national intelligence coordination system and a unified Joint Terrorism Task Force, decentralisation of policing to strengthen community-level security, and a shift from reactive responses to preventive, intelligence-driven operations.
Both opposition parties maintained that the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and property, calling on the administration to act decisively, reinforce local security structures and tackle the socio-economic conditions fueling extremism across the country.
