‘We’ll show no mercy’, Tinubu promises tough action against terrorism, banditry

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vowed that his administration will show no mercy to terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and those who support them, announcing a renewed push against violent crimes in the country.

The President made this known on Friday while presenting the N58.18tn 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.

Earlier in the day, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the budget framework at an emergency meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The proposed budget, titled ‘Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity’, allocates N5.41tn to Defence and Security, the highest allocation in the 2026 fiscal plan.

Meanwhile , this is the third year in a row that defence and security spending has taken the lead since the administration began presenting budgets in November 2023.

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Tinubu said the allocation reflected his government’s commitment to making security central to national development. He added that security spending would be tied to accountability and measurable results, with emphasis on improving the capacity of the armed forces and other security agencies through modern equipment.

Reaffirming his stance, the President said his administration would act firmly against terrorists and their sponsors.

“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 disclosed that the government was resetting Nigeria’s national security framework and rolling out a new counter-terrorism doctrine.

According to him, the strategy is based on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counter-insurgency operations.

Under the new approach, all armed groups or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be classified as terrorists. Bandits, militias, armed gangs, violent cults, forest-based armed groups, and foreign-linked criminal networks will be treated as legitimate 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 counter-insurgency. 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 added.

He further said that the new doctrine would change how the country tackles terrorism and violent crimes.

Giving a breakdown of the budget, Tinubu said Defence and Security would receive N5.41trn; Infrastructure, N3.56trn; Education, N3.52trn; and Health and Social Services, N2.48trn.

“These priorities are interlinked. Without security, investments will not thrive. Without education and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprises will not scale,” he said.