Militant violence surges 262% across Nigeria, Niger, Benin borderlands – Report
Violent attacks by jihadist groups operating along the Nigeria-Niger-Benin border corridor rose sharply in 2025, with related fatalities increasing by 262 per cent compared to 2024, a new study has revealed.
Data published by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) showed that campaigns by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) intensified across the tri-border region.
The report noted that parts of Benin Republic, Niger Republic and Nigeria — particularly Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kwara states — contributed to an 86 per cent rise in violent incidents within the period under review.
Héni Nsaibia, ACLED’s senior analyst for West Africa, said the armed groups have expanded their footprint while adopting strategic communications to demonstrate influence and operational capacity in the borderlands.
Between June and November 2025, JNIM publicly claimed a series of attacks along the Benin-Nigeria border, signalling a more overt presence in areas of Nigeria where its activities had previously been suspected.
Similarly, ISSP announced attacks in Goubey and Birni N’Konni in the Niger-Nigeria border corridor between December and February, formally asserting responsibility for operations earlier attributed to other militants.
The study linked the worsening insecurity to weak border control and limited state presence, noting that the withdrawal of some Sahelian states from regional blocs has undermined cross-border cooperation.
ACLED added that recent US air strikes on Islamic State enclaves in Sokoto, conducted with Nigeria’s approval, highlight growing international concern over the expansion of militant groups in the region and the broader security implications for West Africa.
