DHQ queries Nigeria’s terrorism index ranking as FG freezes assets of terrorism financiers

• GTI: 565 killed in 2024, Sahel region now global epicentre of terrorism
• Troops kill 92 terrorists, arrest 111, rescue 75 hostages in one week – DHQ
• CDS: Nigerian military ready to work with Sahelian states
• FG orders banks to freeze funds, assets of Ekpa, 16 others for terrorism financing
• Nnamdi Kanu moves to halt rights violations, files fresh suits

Citing credibility concerns, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday rebuffed suggestions that Nigeria has climbed to sixth place in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), marking an increase in its terrorism impact ranking from eighth place in the past two years.

According to the latest report released on Wednesday, Nigeria recorded a GTI score of 7.658. Burkina Faso remains the most terrorism-affected country, topping the index with a score of 8.581. Pakistan (8.374), Syria (8.006), Mali (7.907), and Niger (7.776) ranked second to fifth, respectively. Following Nigeria in seventh place is Somalia (7.614), while Israel (7.463), Afghanistan (7.262), and Cameroon (6.944) round out the top ten.

The report recorded 565 terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria in 2024, reflecting a concerning rise in fatalities over the past two years. While terrorism-related deaths have significantly decreased from Nigeria’s peak of 2,101 fatalities in 2014, recent years have seen a reversal of this trend. Deaths dropped to a low of 392 in 2022 but increased by 34 per cent to 533 in 2023 and further to 565 last year.

The report attributes part of this violence to IS-Sahel, a terror group active in the Liptako-Gourma region, which spans Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The group has expanded its operations into Algeria, Benin, and Nigeria, carrying out 16 attacks in Nigeria in 2024, compared to 12 in Niger, six in Mali, and one in Burkina Faso.

The Sahel region has become the global epicentre of terrorism, accounting for 51 per cent of all terrorism-related deaths in 2024, a nearly tenfold increase since 2019. Overall, conflict-related deaths in the region surpassed 25,000 for the first time since the inception of the index, with 3,885 deaths attributed to terrorism.

“Five of the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism are in the Sahel. Although Burkina Faso remains the most affected country, both deaths and attacks declined in 2024—falling by 21 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively. However, the country still accounted for one-fifth of all terrorism deaths globally.”

However, the DHQ stated that reports from the Nigerian military provide a more accurate account of counter-terrorism efforts in the country than those from external sources. The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Markus Kangye, while fielding questions on the 2025 Global Terrorism Index and providing updates during a bi-weekly briefing with defence correspondents in Abuja on operations from February 27 to March 6, 2025, used a family analogy, arguing that information from the family head should be deemed more credible than reports from outsiders.

“Something is happening in my house. I am the head of the house. I have children, I have a wife, and then Kuma Shi (someone else) is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct? The one I tell you as the head of the house or the one Kuma Shi is reporting from outside?” he asked.

He urged the media to verify and correct any misleading narratives about Nigeria’s security situation. Speaking further, Kangye said he wasn’t going against the report but urged the media to give the correct version of happenings in the country. “I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, I think you should be the better person that will give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria.”

The DHQ went ahead to announce that troops from the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies have neutralised 92 terrorists in the last one week. Among those killed was a terrorist commander, Abba Alai, popularly known as Amirul Khalid of Alafa. Additionally, 111 individuals were arrested and 75 hostages were rescued during operations across various theaters.

Kangye said that in addition, the gallant troops arrested 18 suspected oil thieves and recovered stolen products worth N521,802,360.00 during the period under review.

On the sit-at-home order in the Southeast, Kangye said residents, out of fear, still stay indoors on Mondays. He said the military was working to free the region from IPOB/ESN fighters.

INDEED, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said the Armed Forces of Nigeria is committed to working with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger despite their withdrawal from ECOWAS. Musa gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja, when he received a delegation of the Sahelian Think Tank from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger known as ‘Alliance De Sahel’.

The delegation led by the coordinator of the Fusion Centre for Dialogue and Peace Processes, Aliyu Gebi, is in the country to study Nigeria on its non-kinetic approach to tackling the menace of terrorism and the success of Operation Safe Corridor.

The defence chief stressed the need for Nigeria and the Sahelian countries to work together to address terrorism, adding that whatever happens in the Sahel resonates with the country and vice versa. He said that the militaries of the region were working together to achieve peace and revealed his intention to visit Mali and Burkina Faso.

THIS is coming as the Nigeria Sanctions Committee yesterday designated 17 individuals and organisations like the extremist group popularly known as Lakurawa as terrorist financiers over their alleged involvement in terrorism financing.

Those named on the list include Simon Ekpa, Godstime Promise Iyare, Francis Mmaduabuchi, John Onwumere, Chikwuka Eze, Edwin Chukwuedo, Chinwendu Owoh, Ginika Orji, Awo Uchechukwu, and Mercy Ebere Ifeoma Ali. Others are Ohagwu Juliana, Eze Okpoto, Nwaobi Chimezie, Ogomu Kewe, Igwe Ka Ala Enterprises, Seficuvi Global Company, and Lakurawa Group.

According to a document obtained from the committee on Thursday, the list was approved by the President upon the recommendation of the Attorney General of the Federation.

“The Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, has thereupon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List. In accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, you are required to:
“(a) Immediately identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons in your possession and report the same to the Sanctions Committee.
“(b) Report to the Sanctions Committee any assets frozen or actions taken in compliance with the prohibition requirements.
“(c) Immediately file a Suspicious Transactions Report (STR) to the NFIU for further analysis of the financial activities of such individuals or entities.
(d) Report as an STR to the NFIU all cases of name matching in financial transactions prior to or after receipt of this list.”

The committee ordered the immediate freezing of bank accounts and financial instruments associated with the listed individuals and entities across multiple banks, payment platforms, and financial institutions.

“Freezing measures should be extended to all accounts associated with the designated subjects. For designated entities, this should include accounts linked to their signatories and directors to ensure comprehensive enforcement of the sanctions regime,” the document added.

The report noted that Simon Ekpa was reported to have facilitated about 49 fundraisers in different countries between October 2023 to September 2024. According to the report: “Through his social media handles, particularly X (formerly Twitter), the subject was reported to have ordered attacks on government facilities, especially military and paramilitary formations across the southeast, these actions resulted in the monumental loss of lives of security personnel and vulnerable population and caused the destruction of government and public properties.”

For Lakurawa, the report noted that the group engages in violent attacks, assassinations, and enforcement of radical Islamist rule, imposing strict governance on communities. It further noted that the group consists primarily of foreign fighters from Niger and Mali, operating across porous borders, adding that it exploits socio-economic vulnerabilities, recruiting unemployed youth through financial incentives.

“The group imposes extrajudicial administration, levying taxes, confiscating property, and meting out punishments outside the legal framework. Lakurawa finances its activities through extortion, forced taxation (Zakat), cattle rustling, and ransom from kidnappings. Its affiliation with JNIM and similar groups heightens the risk of expanded terrorist networks and cross-border insurgency.

“Given the severity of its actions and the threat it poses to national security, the designation of Lakurawa as a terrorist group is essential to curtail its influence, disrupt its financial networks, and prevent further violence and instability in Nigeria and the West African region.”

HOWEVER, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has initiated fresh legal actions to challenge what his legal team describes as persistent violations of his constitutional rights. Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, stated in a press statement released on Thursday that two separate suits had been filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to compel authorities to respect due process in the ongoing case.

The statement said, the first suit, numbered CV/875/25, seeks to enforce Kanu’s right to a fair hearing and trial within a reasonable time. In the alternative, the suit demands his unconditional release. The second suit, M/3224/2025, is an application for a writ of mandamus, seeking to compel authorities to conduct Kanu’s trial in accordance with the law. This includes a demand for the transfer of the case to the Southeast, where his lawyers argue it should have been instituted originally.

Ejimakor stated that these legal steps were necessary due to the “several unconstitutional and unlawful actions” that have characterized Kanu’s case since Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako recused herself on September 24, 2024.

According to Ejimakor, among the grievances listed were the refusal to reassign the case to a new judge, the controversial return of the case to the same judge who had stepped down, and the authorities’ failure to commence a trial within a reasonable period.

“These actions by the authorities constitute a grave miscarriage of justice,” Ejimakor said, emphasising that Kanu has remained in detention for nearly four years without a fair trial.

Kanu’s prolonged incarceration and legal battles have remained a contentious issue, fueling debates over judicial independence, human rights, and political considerations in Nigeria’s legal system.