Nigeria's military neutralised over 13,000 terrorists in the 12 months before June 2026, President Bola Tinubu said today [1, 2]. Since taking office in 2023, Tinubu has overseen an 81% drop in deaths from insurgency [1, 3, 2].
Over 124,000 fighters and their dependants have surrendered through Operation Safe Corridor since 2023, Tinubu added. "124,000 fighters and dependants have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor," he said [1].
The Nigerian security crisis involves Islamist militants linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, as well as criminal gangs that have expanded activity from northern Nigeria into the southwest [1, 3, 2]. In response to rising kidnappings and violence, Nigeria declared a national security emergency in November 2025 [3].
To bolster counterterrorism efforts, the United States deployed 100 soldiers to Nigeria in February 2026. US and Nigerian forces have since killed over 200 IS-linked militants and destroyed Boko Haram command centers [1, 3].
Kidnappings remain a significant threat. In May 2026, 46 people including students were abducted from a school in Oyo State, southwest Nigeria [1, 3]. On June 8, the Nigerian military rescued 360 victims of Boko Haram kidnappings in Borno State [1].
Nigeria allocated a record defense budget of 5.41 trillion naira for 2026 and recruited 50,000 police officers to strengthen security [3].
Since Tinubu took office in 2023, the government has focused on military action combined with fighter rehabilitation through Operation Safe Corridor. The US support has added precision military capabilities [1]. The government continues security operations following the rescue of Boko Haram kidnapping victims on June 8, 2026.
A discrepancy remains over whether the "past year" figure for terrorist neutralisations covers the calendar year 2025 or the 12 months before June 2026, with some sources citing the latter and others noting the president did not specify [1, 3, 2].
