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Security analysts have warned that the expansion of terrorists into Benin Republic poses a grave security risk to Nigeria.Â
Two researchers at Nextier, Chukwuma Okoli and Ndu Nwokolo, highlighted in a policy brief the presence of the Katiba Hanifa faction of Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) in northern Benin.
According to the policy brief, Benin Republic has experienced a surge in terrorist attacks, rising from 58 deaths in 2023 to at least 575 in 2025. The duo argue that porous borders in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria have enabled infiltration, adding that informal cross-border trade could facilitate the movement of fighters, weapons, and logistics of the terrorist group into Nigeria.
Nigeria, swarmed by over a decade of insurgency, experienced its first attack by JNIM Kwara, a north-central state sharing borders with the southwestern region of the country, in October 2025.Â
The researchers explain that JNIM’s emergence close to the western region of the country could create opportunities for collaboration between regional terrorist networks and local bandit groups.
The policy brief recommends military and diplomatic collaboration between Nigeria and the Benin Republic, along with stronger border management and regional coordination by organisations such as the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), ahead of Benin’s upcoming elections. These measures, according to the researchers, can prevent further entrenchment of JNIM in Benin, thereby reducing potential security risks for Nigeria.
