GTI explains Lakurawa’s exclusion from terror groups lists
The Global Terrorism Index has explained why the Lakurawa terrorist group was not included among the organisations perpetrating violent crimes in Nigeria.
In its 2025 report, the index ranked Nigeria sixth on the global terrorism scale.
It also identified ISWAP and Boko Haram as the most active terrorist organisations in the country, with deadly attacks ranked 7th, 9th, 24th, 30th, and 33rd globally.
According to the report released on March 5, 2024, the deadliest attack in Nigeria occurred on September 1, 2024, in Yobe State, when Boko Haram killed 100 people in an armed assault. This attack was ranked the seventh deadliest worldwide.
“While attacks in Nigeria decreased by 37 percent, deaths from terrorism continued to rise, increasing by six percent to 565 in 2024. This marks the highest death toll since 2020, driven by the ongoing conflict between ISWAP and Boko Haram,” the report added.
Responding to an inquiry from The PUNCH on Tuesday, the GTI clarified that Lakurawa was designated a terrorist group internationally in January 2025.
The organisation added that the designation was after the data for the latest index had already been compiled.
In a message to The PUNCH, the organisation stated, “The Lakurawa were designated a terrorist group by TerrorismTracker in January 2025. This was after the information for the Index was compiled.
“The GTI uses Dragonfly’s TerrorismTracker database, which contains detailed and structured event records of every terrorist incident reported in open sources since January 2007.
“Dragonfly is a leading risk intelligence and data company specialising in global security, geopolitics, crisis, and instability. TerrorismTracker is the most comprehensive, current, and methodologically robust dedicated open-source terrorism incidents database available.”
In November, the Defence Headquarters confirmed the emergence of the Lakurawa terrorist group, which operates primarily in Sokoto and Kebbi states.
The DHQ revealed that the group infiltrated northern Nigeria from Niger Republic and Mali, particularly after the coup in Niger.
Since then, Lakurawa has launched deadly attacks on residents in Sokoto and Kebbi states.
