Nigeria's terrorism deaths drop by 80% in 2016

Nigeria experienced an 80% drop in the number of deaths caused by terrorist attacks in 2016, the largest reduction in the world.

According to the 2017Global Terrorism Index (GTI), developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the country has been able to achieve this decline as a result of pressure on deadly terrorist group, Boko Haram by the Multinational Joint Task Force.

The group's intervention has also led to a decline in the group's attacks on neighbouring countries with Cameroon, Chad and Niger collectively recording 75% fewer terrorism deaths.

Globally, the downward trend in the number of terrorism deaths has been driven by significant declines in four of the five countries most impacted by terrorism: Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

Despite the drop however, there are lingering concerns as Nigeria was third-placed in the list of countries most affected by terrorism.

Others countries that suffered the greatest impact from terrorism in the index are Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, India, Turkey and Libya.

Boko Haram menace

Since the insurgency of the terrorist group escalated after a 2009 crackdown by the military, Boko Haram, chiefly under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, has been responsible for the death of over 20,000 people and the displacement of more than 2.5 million scattered across Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps across the country and its neighbours.

After a massive military operation resulted in the displacement of the group from its primary base in the infamous Sambisa Forest, it has resorted to suicide bomb attacks on soft targets and carried out daring attacks on military bases, with hundreds of captives still unaccounted for.