Nigeria’s internal stability remains under threat from Boko Haram and a host of other internal conflicts, the Global peace index has revealed. Boko Haram, which became the deadliest terrorist organisation in the world in 2014, has been wreaking havoc in Nigeria and other parts of the west African region.
Nigeria was named amongst the five countries where terrorist activity is highly concentrated and the other hotspots include, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.
While the index notes that terrorist activity is on the rise and the breadth of terrorism is spreading globally, Boko Haram and ISIL are still responsible for over 50 per cent of deaths by known actors.
According to estimates created by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which compiles the index, the level of terrorism shows no sign of abating in 2015 and early 2016.
In Nigeria, Boko Haram has continued to strike fear in the hearts of citizens and the terrorist organisation has been causing further insecurity in the region.
There has been a spate of attacks in Nigeria orchestrated by Boko Haram and latest reports indicate that the militia group injured three policemen when they attacked a police station in the north eastern town of Kanamma.
Last week, thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in south-east Niger after a spate of attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in the town of Bosso in the Diffa region.
Read: Niger moves 99 schools to “safer zones” after Boko Haram attacks
Last year, Nigeria’s President Muhammdu Buhari vowed that Boko Haram would be defeated by the end of 2015, but that promise has not been kept. Instead, the group continues to scale up its terror tactics, with incessant attacks.
The Nigerian government and region’s failure to effectively deal with Boko Haram has been attributed to a host of reasons including operational and funding challenges, lack of equipment and lack of collaboration between the various state security agencies among others.
As the Global peace index has revealed, the level of terrorism has indeed shown no sign of abating in 216, and Boko Haram continues to go on the offensive, causing untold violence and suffering.
Source: Institute for Economics and Peace
