President Bola Tinubu has officially classified bandits, militias, violent cultists, and other armed non-state actors as terrorists, pledging that his administration will show no mercy to individuals or groups operating outside the authority of the Nigerian state.
The announcement was made on Friday during the presentation of the 2026 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly, where the President unveiled a comprehensive restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture to address violent crime more decisively.
“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,” Tinubu said.
Under the revised framework, all violent groups—including bandits, violent cults, militias, armed gangs, forest-based criminal networks, and foreign-linked mercenaries—will be regarded as threats to national stability. Tinubu explained that the reclassification aims to end the practice of treating these crimes as isolated offences.
“Our administration is resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counterterrorism doctrine—a holistic redesign anchored on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counter-insurgency. This will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and violent crime,” the President added.
He further stated that increased security allocations in the 2026 budget will be tied to performance benchmarks, insisting that funding must result in tangible improvements in public safety.
“Security spending must deliver results,” Tinubu stressed.
The President emphasised that the new doctrine applies to all armed groups operating without state approval.
“Bandits, militias, armed gangs, violent cults, forest-based armed groups and foreign-linked mercenaries will all be targeted,” he said, adding that the government will also go after those who finance or facilitate violent activities.
“To secure our country, our priority will remain on enhancing the fighting capability of our armed forces and other security agencies with cutting-edge equipment and strategic support,” he added.
