President Bola Tinubu has issued a stern warning to individuals and groups funding and perpetrating violent crimes in Nigeria, vowing that his administration will pursue them relentlessly.
Tinubu's Pledge at the National Assembly
The Nigerian president made this decisive declaration on Friday, December 19, 2025, while presenting the 2026 appropriation bill to a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Tinubu promised a comprehensive defeat of banditry and terrorism, framing it as a core objective of his government's renewed security strategy.
A New National Counterterrorism Architecture
Central to the president's address was the announcement of a fundamental reset of Nigeria's approach to security threats. He revealed plans for a new national counterterrorism doctrine designed to holistically redesign the security architecture.
"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," Tinubu stated.
He emphasized that this new framework would fundamentally alter how the country confronts terrorism and other violent crimes.
Who Will Be Targeted?
President Tinubu was explicit in defining the entities that would fall under the state's enhanced offensive. He declared that any armed group operating outside state authority would be classified and treated as terrorists.
The comprehensive list of targets includes:
- Bandits
- Militias
- Armed gangs and robbers
- Violent cults
- Forest-based armed groups
- Foreign-linked mercenaries
"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 asserted, directly putting terrorism financiers in the crosshairs of security operations.
The president's strong remarks during the budget presentation signal a heightened phase in Nigeria's security operations, with a clear intent to dismantle the economic networks that sustain criminal and terrorist activities across the nation.
