…Bandits killed more than B’Haram, ISWAP
A group, Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, (ORFA), has released a startling statistics on the activities of terror groups in Nigeria, which revealed that 79,323 people, were killed and 34,773 others abducted in terrorism-related violence in the last six years.
In the new report made available to newsmen yesterday, ORFA, expressed regrets unfortunately the outside world was oblivious of this disturbing trend.
In the report, titled: ‘Four Times Boko Haram? How the World Misreads Nigeria’s Violence’, signed by ORFA Senior Research Analyst, Frans Vierhout, the group said that the scale of the violence was “in an average of seven attacks per day” and “an average of 36 people each day” between 2020 and 2025.
“79,323 people were killed in Nigeria between 2020-2025 – an average of seven attacks per day. More than 42,000 were innocent civilians”, the statement said.
ORFA, in the report, said it also monitored the state of religious freedom, documented rights violations, and transmitted same to decision-makers through advocacy. It stated that: “Researchers spent years cross-referencing attack patterns — and the data gathered overturns longstanding assumptions. The breakdown shows that of the number of people killed, 42,033 were civilians; Security Forces and Terror Groups make up 37,290 deaths”.
The investigation challenged the perception that Boko Haram and ISWAP are the primary drivers of violence. “Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) – the terror groups most blamed for violence – together carried out 12% of civilian killings: Boko Haram 8%, and ISWAP 4%”, the report stated.
According to the report: “Militias categorised as ‘Fulani Terror Groups’ killed 44% of all civilians – four times the killing of Boko Haram and ISWAP combined”. In specific figures: “*Fulani Terror Groups killed 44% of civilians (18,577); Boko Haram and ISWAP combined killed 12% (4,941)”.
ORFA also reported on the distinction between perpetrators and ethnicity, stating that: “ORFA is careful to distinguish between armed Fulani terror groups and the Fulani people as a whole, the vast majority of whom are not involved in violence”.
The investigation found that “75% of civilians were killed in community attacks and raids on farming settlements involving abduction, rape and destruction of property.
ORFA said it recorded “Up to 60 data elements for each violence incident” using “5 data streams”, including its primary research base, local partners, academic projects, media/NGO reports, and validated social media.
While recognising the issue of terrorism called for a broader response, the group emphasised the need to acknowledge that without a full accounting of the religious dimensions of violence in Nigeria, attempts to find solutions remained incomplete.
