A Global Index report on terrorism shows that Nigeria has risen to sixth in global terrorism with dozens killed in 2024. This comes as the Nigeria Human Rights Commission says that human rights violations rose to 25 per cent in the country in February.
The Nigerian military however has cast doubt on the credibility of the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI), which ranked Nigeria as the 6th most terrorism-affected country worldwide.
The report, released on March 5, assigned Nigeria a score of 7.658, marking a shift from 8th place in 2023 and 2024 and recording 565 terrorism-related deaths in 2024.
The 2025 GTI ranked Burkina Faso as the most terrorism-affected country with a score of 8.581, followed by Pakistan (8.374), Syria (8.006), Mali (7.907), and Niger (7.776). Nigeria placed 6th, ahead of Somalia (7.614), Israel (7.463), Afghanistan (7.262), Cameroon (6.944), Myanmar (6.929), and others.
However, Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, dismissed the report, asserting that military intelligence and first-hand reports from the Nigerian armed forces provide a more accurate picture than external assessments.
“Something is happening in my house, and I am the head of the house. Someone outside reports what is happening to me;, who would be more correct? The head of the house or the outsider?” he argued, urging the media to rely on verified military reports rather than external data.
