Nigeria Reports Killing Over 13,000 Terrorists in Past Year

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared on Friday that at least 13,000 terrorists have been killed in Nigeria over the past year. He stated that fatalities resulting from jihadist insurgency have decreased by 81% since he assumed office in May 2023.

Tinubu confirmed the elimination of more than 13,000 terrorists during the previous year, although he did not specify whether this referred to the calendar year 2025 or the last twelve months. He also reported that over 124,000 fighters and their family members have surrendered their weapons since 2023 through the "safe corridor" program implemented by authorities to rehabilitate jihadists.

Northern Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is confronting two parallel security challenges: jihadist group violence and criminal gang violence. The latter frequently carry out attacks on villages and mass kidnappings to demand ransom.

Since 2009, violence initiated by Boko Haram and later rival ISIS West Africa has caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions in northeastern Nigeria.

Kidnapping for ransom has increased in the northwestern and central regions of the country. The unrest is approaching southwestern Nigeria, where more than 40 students and teachers were abducted from their schools in Oyo State in May.