On 5th March 2025, the Institute For Economics And Peace released its annual Global Terrorism Index(GTI) for 2024. In the report, Nigeria rose to an unflattering sixth in the GTI ranking with a score of 7.658.
The said report ranked Burkina Faso as the most negatively impacted country with a score of 8.581. It is followed, in descending order, by Pakistan, Syria, Mali, and Niger.
Two things are salient about the 2024 GTI. One is that, with respect to Nigeria, fatalities increased by 34%. Whereas in 2023 Nigeria registered 533 fatalities, this figure increased further to 565 in 2024.
The report also pointed to the growing influence of IS-Sahel, which is said to have expanded its activities beyond the Liptako-Gourma region, the tri-border area of Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria. The IS-Sahel is said to be responsible for sixteen attacks on Nigeria in 2024, in addition to twelve attacks in Niger, six in Mali and one in Burkina Faso.
Though our Armed Forces have done a yeoman’s job in fighting terrorism, and their efforts have borne fruit, an uptick of terrorist activity manifested itself , particularly in the last quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. There have been attacks on military formations, abductions and needless killings of innocents. These have occurred in Borno State in the North East; Zamfara and Katsina States in the North West; Plateau and Benue States in the North Central; and some parts of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT). The figures supplied in the GTI thus resonate with, and validate, what is happening on the ground.
If the GTI confirms and ground truths the recent spike in terrorist activities, it also underscores the capacity of the terrorists to regroup and to forge alliances. Our Armed Forces must demonstrate similar, if not superior nimbleness. They should be able to show uncommon dexterity and savvy in working in concert with the Armed Forces of other countries in the sub-region to neutralize these terrorists.
In spite of the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), it is heartwarming that our Armed Forces continue to collaborate with the Armed Forces of these countries. These collaborations and liaisons are crucially important in sharing intelligence and strategies and in learning lessons. Against this backdrop, our Armed Forces must assiduously court and work in synergy with the newly formed Alliance De Sahel, the think tank for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The Alliance should be impressed upon the solidarity, familial ties, pacts and commissions that had hitherto existed between Nigeria and these countries even before the advent of ECOWAS and colonialism and the need for it to be supportive especially on the security front.
The case for a strong collaboration is further underlined by the fact that the sixteen attacks launched against Nigeria in 2024, by IS-Sahel, were allegedly carried out from outside Nigeria’s borders.
In addition to strengthening and sustaining collaboration between us and our brothers in the sub-region, the fight against terror must take a holistic coloration. The Armed Forces and our political class must be on the same page. They must take actions that reinforce each other.
We have always canvassed and counseled that our Armed Forces must act in concert and based on actionable intelligence. To a large extent, they have done that, hence the marked decline in terrorism-related activities from their peak in 2014-2015. But the political class must complement and reciprocate the valiant efforts of our Armed Forces. Apart from providing the Armed Forces with requisite state-of-the art equipment and shoring up their morale, the political class must take actions/decisions that deny the terrorists the oxygen to thrive.
Those who fund and succor these terrorists must be scrupulously identified. Their sources of funding should be promptly blocked. Additionally, their sources of weapons must be diligently ascertained and blocked. We read occasionally of these terrorists being in possession of hard currencies and weapons that are superior to those being wielded by our Armed Forces. To avoid making our Armed Forces vulnerable or outright sitting ducks, efforts should be made to frustrate the supplies and logistics of the terrorists.
Beyond these, our governments, federal and state, must take actions that make their citizens less subservient to being recruited either as terrorists or as informants. Our governments must invest aggressively and muscularly in education. An educated person is most likely to be less liable or susceptible to the guile of these terrorists or their weird doctrines.
An adjunct to this is that our youths should be conferred with skills sets that will make them useful and self-employed. In furtherance of this, skills acquisition centers should be set up across the board where our teeming youths can be trained. Afterwards, they should be encouraged to set up shop consistent with their trainings/skills.
By the same token, our governments must invest, robustly and aggressively, in Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs). To make these SMEs work, their owners should, in lieu, be exposed to rudiments of entrepreneurship. Also, some of the ridiculous taxations hobbling the growth of SMEs and small enterprises should be promptly removed. Tax holidays should be liberally given to startups and small businesses.
By the time we educate our youths and engage them meaningfully, the merchants and purveyors of terror will be effectively denied their prospective foot soldiers and canon fodders.
The war against terror may be an uphill one. But it is not a bridge too far. It is a mission that can be accomplished if we all put our hands on deck.