President Bola Tinubu has formally designated bandits and other armed non-state actors as terrorists, vowing that his administration will treat all groups operating outside state authority as threats to national security. He announced this on Friday while presenting the 2026 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly, promising a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture.
Tinubu said the new framework ends the practice of treating violent crimes as isolated acts. “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 stated, adding that all armed groups, cults, militias, and foreign-linked mercenaries will now fall under a counterterrorism doctrine.
The President emphasized that increased security spending under the 2026 budget will be tied to measurable outcomes, ensuring funds improve safety and enhance the capabilities of armed forces and other security agencies. He said, “Our administration is resetting the national security architecture… This new doctrine will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes.”