Five terrorist attacks that occurred in Nigeria in 2024 have been ranked among the top 50 most deadly incidents globally, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index. These attacks, carried out by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Yobe and Borno states, were ranked 7th, 9th, 24th, 30th, and 33rd on the international list.
The deadliest attack in Nigeria took place on September 1, 2024, in Yobe State, where Boko Haram killed 100 people in an armed assault. This attack was ranked the 7th deadliest globally in 2024. Another major assault occurred on April 24, 2024, in Borno State, where 85 people were killed in an ISWAP-led attack, ranking it 9th worldwide.
Other significant attacks listed in the report include:
- An ISWAP attack in Yobe on September 1, 2024, which resulted in 37 deaths, ranked 24th.
- A jihadist attack in Borno on May 26, 2024, that killed 30 people, ranked 30th.
- A bombing by an unidentified jihadist group in Borno on June 29, 2024, which also claimed 30 lives, ranked 33rd.
The single deadliest terrorist attack globally in 2024 occurred in Tahoua, Niger, on July 21, where jihadists killed 237 people. Other major global attacks included:
- A JNIM-led attack in Centre-Nord, Burkina Faso, on August 24, 2024, which killed 200 people.
- Another JNIM-led attack in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso on June 11, 2024, with 170 deaths.
- An attack by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province in Moscow, Russia, on March 22, 2024, that killed 144 people.
- An undetermined jihadist attack in Tillabéri, Niger, on December 10, 2024, which claimed 138 lives.
- An assault by an unidentified jihadist group in Est, Burkina Faso, on March 16, 2024, that killed 100 people.
Despite a decrease in the number of attacks in Nigeria, the report highlights a 6% rise in terrorism-related deaths, with a total of 565 fatalities in 2024—the highest toll since 2020. This increase is largely attributed to the ongoing conflict between ISWAP and Boko Haram, which accounted for nearly 60% of all terrorism-related deaths in the country.
Civilians were the primary targets in 2024, with 62% of all fatalities, a sharp increase from 21% in 2023. In contrast, terrorists and militants made up 15% of the deaths in 2024, down from 38% in 2023.
