Bandits, violent cults, foreign-linked mercenaries to be treated as terrorists, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu says all armed non-state actors operating outside the authority of the Nigerian state will henceforth be treated as terrorists under a new security and criminal justice framework being implemented by his administration.

Tinubu spoke on Friday while presenting the 2026 budget to the joint session of the national assembly.

Under the new security architecture, the president said bandits, violent cults, militias, armed gangs, forest-based criminal groups and foreign-linked mercenaries would no longer be treated as isolated criminal elements but as terrorist threats to national stability.

“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.

“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 new doctrine will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes.”

The president said the new framework will unify all counterterrorism operations under a coordinated command structure to ensure efficiency and rapid response.

Tinubu further detailed the scope of the new measures, identifying groups that will face stricter enforcement actions.

He said the administration’s approach is comprehensive, targeting not only perpetrators but also their enablers.

“Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists,” he 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.”

The president assured Nigerians that his government is committed to restoring law and order across all parts of the country.

“We will invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes — because security spending must deliver results,” he added.

“To secure our country, our priority will remain on increasing the fighting capability of our armed forces and other security agencies and boosting the effectiveness of our fighting forces with cutting-edge equipment and other hardware.”