President Bola Tinubu has warned that his administration will not spare terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, or their backers.
He also announced a renewed drive against violent crime as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s security architecture.
Tinubu made the commitment while presenting the N58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly on Friday.
Hours earlier, Vice President Kashim Shettima presided over the first emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council, which approved the budget framework.
The proposed budget is entitled ‘Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience, and Shared Prosperity.’
The President set aside N5.41 trillion for defense and security, the single greatest allocation in the proposed budget.
This is the third consecutive year that defense and security spending has been prioritized since the administration began releasing national budgets in November 2023.
Tinubu stated that the defense budget underlined his government’s determination to make security the cornerstone of national growth.
He promised that security spending during his administration will be linked to accountability and measurable outcomes, with a focus on improving the operational capabilities of the armed forces and other security agencies through modern equipment and hardware.
The President committed to dealing with terrorists and their supporters, emphasizing that his administration will have no mercy for anyone involved in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes.
“We will show no mercy. We will usher in a new era of criminal justice. We will act firmly against those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes,” Tinubu said.
He also revealed that his administration was overhauling the country’s national security infrastructure and implementing a new counter-terrorism strategy.
He noted that the method was based on unified command, intelligence collection, community stability, and counter-insurgency activities.
According to the new ideology, all armed groups or non-state actors possessing firearms who operate outside of state authority are terrorists.
Bandits, militias, armed gangs, violent cults, forest-based armed groups, and foreign-linked criminal networks will all be considered valid targets of security operations.
“Our administration is resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counter-terrorism doctrine.
“This holistic redesign is anchored on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counterinsurgency.
“Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside the state’s authority will be regarded as terrorists.
“Bandits, militias, armed gangs, violent cults, forest-based armed groups, and foreign-linked networks will all be targeted.
“We will pursue all those who perpetrate violence for political or sectarian ends, along with those who finance and facilitate their schemes,” the president said.
