Zainab Gimba, a Nigerian parliament member of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has called for the immediate funding of the Joint Taskforce to tackle the increasing violent terrorism going on in West Africa and the Sahel region.
Gimba made the call at the ongoing 2025 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja early this week.
Moving the motion: Strengthening Regional Security Cooperation In Response To The Escalating Threat Of Terrorism And Violent Extremism In West Africa and the Sahel, Gimba blames the increasing violence in West African and Sahel to the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali from ECOWAS.
‘Allow me to paint a picture of the situation for you to clearly conceptualize my concern.
‘According to the Global Terrorism Index 2024, violent conflict remains the primary driver of terrorism, with over 90% of attacks and 98% of terrorism deaths in 2023 occurring in conflict zones.
‘An arrested bandit in Zamfara confirmed that instability in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali not only facilitates their operations but also provides a direct source of weaponry. That is, however, not the main concern.
‘My concern, Mr. Speaker, is that regionally, the impact of terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for just under 59% of all fatalities globally; and the Sahel accounted for 19% of all terrorist attacks worldwide and 51% of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024—an increase from 48% in 2023,’ the lawmaker explained.
She further paint a picture of terrorist attacks in Nigeria expecially of the North East, where she toured affected terrains days before the parliament with Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the Borno state governor.
‘Mr. Speaker, I have personally, alongside my state governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, visited some of these areas under military protection to resettle displaced communities and engage with troops.
‘On May 15, five days before the commencement of this Session, Boko Haram attacked farming communities near Baga, resulting in the following casualties:
Dawoshi: 40 farmers slaughtered
Malam Karamti: 22 civilians killed
Dabar Giwa: 15 individuals executed
‘These inhuman atrocities were reportedly carried out as punishment for non-payment of illegal “taxes” imposed by the group. Such illegality must not be tolerated. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!,’ the lawmaker said.
She moved that the ‘Parliament urgently pass a Resolution endorsing ongoing dialogue with AES States (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) to reintegrate them into ECOWAS security frameworks and support joint action under the Accra Initiative and ECOWAS Standby Force, per the 2020–2024 counter-terrorism action plan.
‘A Resolution be passed urging ECOWAS member states to improve funding for the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin and deploy rapid-response forces to high-risk areas across the Sahel and coastal West Africa.
‘The ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) be strengthened to anticipate, track, and disrupt arms trafficking and insurgent migration, and to pre-empt threats.
‘A Resolution be passed for enhanced support to the ECOWAS Regional Food and Agricultural Agency to better meet the food security needs of conflict-displaced populations.’
Read The Full Motion:
TITLE OF MOTION:STRENGTHENING REGIONAL SECURITY COOPERATION IN RESPONSE TO THE ESCALATING THREAT OF TERRORISM AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHEL
Sponsor: Hon. Dr. Zainab Gimba
Date: 27 May 2025
Right Honourable Speaker, Distinguished Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with a deep sense of urgency and commitment to regional peace and stability that I rise under Rule 87 of our Rules of Procedure to address this august House on a matter of grave concern to Nigeria, my country, and to West Africa and the Sahel. Mr. Speaker, what concerns me most is not the existence of terrorism and violent extremism alone, but the rapid escalation of such activities across West Africa, particularly in the wake of the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, allow me to paint a picture of the situation for you to clearly conceptualize my concern. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2024, violent conflict remains the primary driver of terrorism, with over 90% of attacks and 98% of terrorism deaths in 2023 occurring in conflict zones. An arrested bandit in Zamfara confirmed that instability in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali not only facilitates their operations but also provides a direct source of weaponry. That is, however, not the main concern.
My concern, Mr. Speaker, is that regionally, the impact of terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for just under 59% of all fatalities globally; and the Sahel accounted for 19% of all terrorist attacks worldwide and 51% of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024—an increase from 48% in 2023.
In respect of the Sahel, Mr. Speaker, between July and October 2024, the Armed Conflict Location and Events Data Project recorded 1,535 fatalities—including civilians, military personnel, armed groups, and others—in Burkina Faso. Additionally, an assault by Jama‘at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) on a defence convoy near Nassougou (Gourma Province, Est Region) on 9 August killed 148 personnel. Another attack in Barsalogo (Sanmatenga Province, Central Region) on 24 August killed 200 and injured 1,402.
In that same country, Islamic State (IS) gunmen killed at least 71 soldiers, injured three, and abducted an unconfirmed number in an ambush on the Oursi and Deou axis, Oudalan Province, on 17 February 2024.
In Niger, Mr. Speaker, the Armed Conflict Location and Events Data Project recorded 467 fatalities from July to October 2024. The United Nations Security Council in its April 2025 Monthly Briefings reported that militants of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked the Fambita Mosque in southwestern Niger, killing at least 44 people and setting fire to a market and several homes on 21 March.
Again, in Mali, Jama‘at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the Cadre stratégique permanent pour la défense du peuple de l’Azawad claimed responsibility for 1,190 fatalities recorded between July and October 2024.
Further to my concern, Mr. Speaker, beyond the Sahel, the terrorist and violent extremist threat has progressively spread southward toward coastal West Africa, spilling over into previously unaffected Benin and Togo, which have now witnessed an increase in attacks, particularly along regions bordering the Central Sahel.
For the first time in a decade of insurgency across our region, the area in northern Benin came under severe attack by terrorist insurgents and violent extremists. Mr. Speaker, according to UNOWAS, on 24 July 2024, Jama‘at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin claimed an attack at the W National Park, killing seven security personnel and five park rangers. Again, in early January, terrorist attacks claimed by the same group in northern Benin, near its border with Burkina Faso and Niger, resulted in the deaths of 28 Beninese soldiers.
In respect of Togo, Mr. Speaker, on 20 July and 6 August, Jama‘at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin launched attacks that killed 12 soldiers and several others on a military outpost in Kpinkankandi and near Kankanti, respectively. By the end of 2024, a total of ten attacks resulting in 52 deaths were recorded, with JNIM claiming responsibility for four of these, which accounted for 41 fatalities.
The attack on April 17, 2025, at the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex—a tri-border zone between Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger—highlights the vulnerabilities created by regional fragmentation and the urgent need for cooperative security frameworks.
Given this background, Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, and knowing the varying nomenclatures and transnational or multi-border nature under which these terrorist elements operate—from Mali to Burkina Faso, traversing Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Benin, Togo, and Nigeria—our response must be equally coordinated, multinational, and resolute.
Right Honourable Speaker, distinguished Members of the ECOWAS Parliament, let me now turn attention to the Nigerian situation and give you an idea about our own predicament. I speak with utmost emotion and passion on this issue because I have lived and experienced it.
In my state of Borno, Mr. Speaker, these insurgents not only attack the civilian population but also fight among themselves—often with civilian casualties. On 19 August 2023, ISWA gunmen attacked Boko Haram fighters near Lake Chad. Boko Haram retaliated, and 100 fighters were killed on both sides. However, 60 civilians also died. On 24 August 2023, gunmen in canoes attacked alleged Boko Haram militants in Duguri, Kukawa Local Government Area. At least 41 militants died, with an unconfirmed number of civilians lost.
Mr. Speaker, in November 2024, credible intelligence from Northwest Nigeria indicated the incursion of a foreign extremist group known locally as the Lakurawa. These operatives, largely non-native speakers of Nigerian languages, entered Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina States, initiating radical Islamic enforcement measures, including mandatory beards and specific dress codes. Their campaign escalated into taxation of local communities and large-scale cattle rustling.
On 6 April 2025, the Lakurawa attacked Morai in Augie LGA of Kebbi State, killing 16 vigilantes. Nigerian military intelligence confirms these actors infiltrated via Mali and Burkina Faso through Niger Republic, in pursuit of territory and influence.
Though they claim to differ from domestic bandits plaguing Northwest Nigeria, their tactics are indistinguishable—plunder, extortion, kidnapping, and indiscriminate violence. These acts, Mr. Speaker, have displaced thousands from Bafarawa, Gangara, and nearby communities in Zamfara State, forcing them to seek refuge in Sabon Birni and Isa LGAs in Sokoto State.
In Northeastern Nigeria, the situation remains dire. Conflict zones dominated by Boko Haram and its offshoot, ISWAP, have witnessed infiltration by foreign fighters—including Caucasian combatants—since January 2025. More concerning is that these terrorists now use advanced weapons and ammunition (drones, chemical agents, etc.) capable of penetrating armored vehicles and igniting previously impenetrable metals.
Since March 2025, this new coalition has launched coordinated offensives on communities in Gwoza, Pulka, Buni Gari, Buni Yadi, Alagarno, Damboa, Wajiroko, Sabongari, Gujiba, Wulgo, Rann, Dikwa, Nganzai, Gajibo, Baga, Doron Baga, and Marte, overrunning military battalions, seizing weapons, and destroying security installations in several towns within 60 days.
Mr. Speaker, I have personally, alongside my state governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, visited some of these areas under military protection to resettle displaced communities and engage with troops.
On May 15, five days before the commencement of this Session, Boko Haram attacked farming communities near Baga, resulting in the following casualties:
Dawoshi: 40 farmers slaughtered
Malam Karamti: 22 civilians killed
Dabar Giwa: 15 individuals executed
These inhuman atrocities were reportedly carried out as punishment for non-payment of illegal “taxes” imposed by the group. Such illegality must not be tolerated. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!
Mr. Speaker, the troubling intrusion of terrorism into Southern Nigeria must also be acknowledged. The presence of separatist militias has recently exacerbated insecurity in the region.
Mr. Speaker, we already know why and how terrorism and violent extremism are spreading across West Africa and the Sahel. The challenge lies in how to respond. It is pursuant to this that I move for a multifaceted approach:
Therefore, I move that:
a. Parliament urgently pass a Resolution endorsing ongoing dialogue with AES States (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) to reintegrate them into ECOWAS security frameworks and support joint action under the Accra Initiative and ECOWAS Standby Force, per the 2020–2024 counter-terrorism action plan.
b. A Resolution be passed urging ECOWAS member states to improve funding for the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin and deploy rapid-response forces to high-risk areas across the Sahel and coastal West Africa.
c. The ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) be strengthened to anticipate, track, and disrupt arms trafficking and insurgent migration, and to pre-empt threats.
d. A Resolution be passed for enhanced support to the ECOWAS Regional Food and Agricultural Agency to better meet the food security needs of conflict-displaced populations.
I so move, Mr. Speaker. Thank you once again for the opportunity.
