By Ayomide Otitoju
President Bola Tinubu on Friday declared that bandits, violent cult groups, kidnappers, foreign-linked mercenaries and other armed non-state actors will be designated as terrorists under a new security framework to be introduced by his administration.
Tinubu made the announcement while presenting the 2026 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja, saying the government would target not only perpetrators of violent crimes but also those who finance and enable them.
“Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists,” the president said. “Bandits, militias, armed gangs, armed robbers, violent cults, forest-based armed groups, and foreign-linked mercenaries will all be targeted.
“We will go after all those who perpetrate violence for political or sectarian ends, along with those who finance and facilitate their evil schemes,” he added.
According to the president, the new security doctrine will fundamentally reshape Nigeria’s approach to tackling terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes, amid a recent surge in mass abductions and insecurity across parts of the country.
Reaffirming his administration’s resolve to restore peace, Tinubu said criminals would receive “no mercy” from the government.
“We will usher in a new era of criminal justice. We will show no mercy to those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes,” he said.
The president also pledged continued investment in security, stressing the need to strengthen the operational capacity of the armed forces and other security agencies through improved personnel strength and the acquisition of modern equipment.
To support this objective, Tinubu earmarked ₦5.41 trillion for defence and security in the proposed ₦58.1 trillion 2026 budget, making it the largest sectoral allocation in the spending plan.
