Nigeria Ranks 8th In List Of Countries With Worst Terrorism Impact…
Written by City Radio on March 16, 2023
Latest report from the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) has shown that Nigeria moved to 8th position, moving down two steps from its place in 2022, an indication that the nation’s ranking has improved.
The report which is published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism since 2000, and attempts to systematically rank countries according to terrorist activities.
According to the index for 2023, a continuous decline in the number of deaths from terrorism has seen Nigeria move down the ladder of nations most impacted by terrorists.
Nigeria recorded the largest decrease in the number of deaths from terrorism in the region in 2022. Deaths fell by almost a quarter, from 497 in 2021 to 385 in 2022, and are now at their lowest level in Nigeria since 2011.
This fall in deaths was driven by a marked decrease in deaths attributed to ISWA,
with the group being responsible for 57 attacks in 2022, compared to 79 in 2021
Prior to this, deaths in Nigeria peaked in 2014 at 2,101 deaths before declining in five of the subsequent nine years. After recording 865 deaths in 2020, deaths from terrorism in Nigeria decreased by 43 per cent in 2021 and 35 per cent in 2022.
While things seem to have improved in Nigeria, still experts say the country faces a significant threat posed by armed extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWA.
ISWA is now the most prominent group in Borno State, recording 40 incidents that resulted in 168 deaths in 2022, compared to Boko Haram’s six incidents and 63 deaths. The state, however, remains the hardest-hit region in Nigeria for terrorism, accounting for 60 per cent of all terror-related deaths in 2022.
The deadliest terror attack of the year occurred in Borno State, when gunmen killed 50 civilians who were accused of informing on the terrorists’ movements to security forces. ISWA claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted ‘spies’.
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