Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has disputed the country’s sixth-place ranking in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), citing credibility concerns. The report, released on Wednesday, recorded a GTI score of 7.658 for Nigeria, with 565 terrorism-related deaths in 2024.
According to the report, Nigeria’s terrorism impact ranking increased from eighth place in the past two years. However, the DHQ argued that reports from the Nigerian military provide a more accurate account of counter-terrorism efforts in the country than those from external sources.
Major-General Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, used a family analogy to emphasize the importance of credible sources. “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?”
The DHQ also announced that troops from the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies have neutralized 92 terrorists in the last one week, with 111 individuals arrested and 75 hostages rescued.
In a related development, the Nigeria Sanctions Committee designated 17 individuals and organizations, including Simon Ekpa and the extremist group Lakurawa, as terrorist financiers. The committee ordered the immediate freezing of their bank accounts and financial instruments.
Meanwhile, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has initiated fresh legal actions to challenge the alleged persistent violations of his constitutional rights. Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, stated 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.