Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced that security forces have neutralized more than 13,000 militants over the past year, highlighting what he described as significant progress in the country’s fight against terrorism and armed insurgent groups.
Speaking on Friday, Tinubu stated that over 13,000 terrorists had been eliminated during the period, although he did not clarify whether the figure referred specifically to 2025 or the previous twelve months.
The president also noted that more than 124,000 former fighters and their family members have surrendered since 2023 through the government’s rehabilitation initiative, Operation Safe Corridor. The program is designed to encourage defections from armed groups and facilitate reintegration into civilian society.
Nigeria continues to face multiple security challenges across several regions of the country. In the north, government forces remain engaged in a prolonged campaign against jihadist organizations, including groups that emerged from the insurgency launched by Boko Haram in 2009.
According to Tinubu, fatalities linked to the insurgency have fallen by approximately 81 percent since he assumed office in 2023. Despite the reported decline, security threats remain widespread.
In addition to extremist violence, authorities continue to confront heavily armed criminal gangs commonly referred to as bandits, particularly in northwestern regions. Security concerns have also been fueled by recurring clashes between farming and herding communities in parts of central and northeastern Nigeria.
Separatist movements in the southeast and a persistent wave of kidnapping-for-ransom incidents across central and northern areas continue to place pressure on security forces.
Officials have also expressed concern that instability is gradually spreading toward Nigeria’s relatively secure southwest. In May, more than 40 students and teachers were reportedly abducted from educational institutions in Oyo State, underscoring the ongoing challenges facing the country’s security apparatus.
Nigeria remains one of Africa’s most significant counterterrorism battlefields, with government forces continuing operations against both extremist organizations and criminal armed groups across multiple regions.
