Nigeria’s terror attacks ranked among world deadliest
Five terror attacks that occurred in Nigeria in 2024 have been ranked among the world’s 50 most devastating, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index.
The attacks, which took place in Yobe and Borno states, were carried out by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.
They were ranked 7th, 9th, 24th, 30th, and 33rd on the global list in the report obtained by Sunday PUNCH.
According to the report released on March 5, 2024, the deadliest of the Nigerian attacks occurred on September 1, 2024, in Yobe State, when 100 people were killed in an armed assault by Boko Haram.
The attack was ranked the seventh-worst terrorist incident worldwide in 2024.
Another major attack took place on April 24, 2024 in Borno State, where 85 people lost their lives in an ISWAP-led armed attack, ranking it ninth globally.
Other attacks in Nigeria listed in the report include an ISWAP attack on September 1, 2024, in Yobe, which resulted in 37 deaths and was ranked 24th; a jihadist attack in Borno on May 26, 2024, that claimed 30 lives and was ranked 30th; and a bombing by an unidentified jihadist group on June 29, 2024, in Borno, which also killed 30 people and was ranked 33rd.
According to the report, the single deadliest terrorist attack in 2024 occurred in Tahoua, Niger, on July 21, when jihadists killed 237 people in an armed assault.
Other major attacks ranked second to sixth globally included a JNIM attack in Centre-Nord, Burkina Faso, on August 24, 2024, which resulted in 200 deaths; another JNIM-led attack in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso on June 11, 2024, that left 170 people dead; an attack by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province in Moscow, Russia, on March 22, 2024, which claimed 144 lives, an undetermined jihadist attack in Tillabéri, Niger, on December 10, 2024, where 138 people were killed; and an armed assault by an unidentified jihadist group in Est, Burkina Faso, on March 16, 2024, which left 100 people dead.
Despite a reduction in the number of terrorist attacks in Nigeria, the report noted that deaths from terrorism increased by six per cent in 2024.
The report said, “While attacks in Nigeria decreased by 37 per cent, deaths from terrorism continued to rise, increasing by six per cent to 565 in 2024. This marks the highest death toll since 2020, driven by ongoing conflict between ISWA and Boko Haram.
“Together, fatalities attributed to these groups accounted for nearly 60 per cent of all terrorism-related deaths in the country. Civilians became the most targeted group in 2024, accounting for 62 per cent of all deaths, a significant increase from 21 per cent in 2023. In contrast, terrorists and militants, who represented 38 per cent of deaths in 2023, accounted for only 15 per cent in 2024.”
