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According to a report by SBM Intelligence, no fewer than 5,873 Nigerians have lost their lives in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists in the last 30 months.
The report released on Friday, June 30, 2023, said the number of fatalities was recorded in 430 incidents between December 2020 and May 2023.
SBM Intelligence said Borno accounted for the highest number of fatalities, followed by Yobe, Niger, Katsina, and Adamawa states in that order.
Others are Taraba, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano and Nasarawa states, FCT, and Ondo State.
Even though the report acknowledged the progress made by the Nigerian military in their offensive campaign against the terrorists, it noted that evidence on the ground suggests that the war was far from over.
“Nigeria’s longest-running insurgency entered its 13th year at the start of 2023. Over the past two years, the military has made significant strides against the terrorist group, aided by modern military hardware, including Tucano jets,” the report read in part.
SBM Intelligence also warned that the terrorist group's continued advancement into the North-Central and North-West zones indicated that the military needed to redouble its effort.
What you should know about Boko Haram
Regarded as one of the most dreaded terrorist groups in the world, Boko Haram has been engaged in a war with the Nigerian state for over 12 years.
The group became radicalised following the summary execution of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, by the Nigerian police in July 2009.
While it chose the North-East part of the country as its base in the early days, over the years and largely due to the Nigerian military's bombardment of their enclaves, Boko Haram has spread its terror campaign to other regions in the Northern part of the country.
The group has killed more than 35,000 people since it launched its insurgency aimed at overthrowing Nigeria's secular government and establishing an Islamic state.