Boko Haram and the Buhari years: tracking the insurgency’s toll
Graphic: The City Reporters
Muhammadu Buhari became Nigeria’s president in May 2015 pledging to defeat Boko Haram, the militant group whose insurgency in the northeast had killed thousands of people and gained global attention with the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. In the months after his inauguration, Nigerian media regularly tallied deaths from attacks, and early counts showed violence continuing despite the new government’s promises.
How the conflict changed
A regional military force pushed the group out of much of the territory it held in 2015, but attacks continued. Boko Haram split, and a faction aligned with the Islamic State, known as ISWAP, became a major threat around Lake Chad. Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states bore the brunt of the violence.
Why counts vary
Casualty figures differ between the military, local officials, humanitarian groups and independent trackers such as the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker. Access to affected areas is limited, and definitions vary.
The humanitarian cost
The United Nations has reported millions of people displaced in the northeast and long-term needs for food, shelter, education and health care.
Sources
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
- Council on Foreign Relations, Nigeria Security Tracker
By 
By