By Our Correspondent

National News – Nigeria has ranked fourth among countries with the highest terrorism-related deaths globally, as the Sahel region continues to emerge as the world’s most dangerous hotspot for extremist violence, according to the latest Global Terrorism Index report.

The report, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace, revealed that the Sahel accounted for nearly half of all global terrorism deaths for the third consecutive year.

The index assessed 163 countries using indicators such as the number of attacks, fatalities, injuries, and hostages linked to terrorist activities.

According to the report, more than half of the 7,555 terrorism-related deaths recorded worldwide in 2024 occurred within the Sahel region, a semi-arid belt stretching across Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.

Although the global number of terrorism deaths dropped to 5,582 in 2025, the region still accounted for nearly half of the fatalities.

Researchers noted that terrorism fatalities in the Sahel have increased dramatically over the years, rising nearly tenfold since 2007 when the region contributed only one percent of global terrorism deaths.

Analysts say the epicentre of global terrorism has gradually shifted from the Middle East and North Africa to sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the Sahel.

Pakistan topped the index in 2025, overtaking Burkina Faso after recording 1,139 terrorism-related deaths and more than 1,000 incidents.

The surge in attacks was linked to renewed militant activity following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and increased operations by armed separatist groups.

Burkina Faso, which had previously ranked as the most affected country for two consecutive years, recorded a 45 percent drop in deaths to 846.

The decline was largely attributed to a reduction in civilian casualties rather than a major improvement in security conditions.

Nigeria moved up to fourth place after recording 750 terrorism-related deaths in 2025, representing a 46 percent increase compared to the previous year.

The rise in fatalities was largely driven by continued clashes between extremist groups and ongoing security challenges in parts of the country.

The report also warned that jihadist groups operating in the Sahel are expanding their activities into coastal West African countries, raising concerns about the spread of extremist violence across the region.