Tinubu Declares Bandits, Violent Cults, Armed Groups As Terrorists
President Bola Tinubu says bandits, violent cult groups, kidnappers, foreign-linked mercenaries, and other armed non-state actors will be treated as terrorists under a new security framework to be rolled out by his administration. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); Tinubu said this on Friday when he presented the budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, stating that his government will go after enablers and not just perpetrators of crimes. “Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists,” the former Lagos State governor told the gathering at the National Assembly in Abuja. “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.” Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); READ ALSO: Tinubu Presents ₦58.18trn 2026 Budget Proposal To NASS As Defence Takes ₦5.41trn ‘A New Era’ President Tinubu says better days are ahead for Nigerians. He said the new doctrine will “fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes”. In recent months, Nigeria has experienced a surge in crimes such as mass abductions and banditry, among others. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); }); Despite these, the president is unrelenting in his resolve for a peaceful Nigeria, and has declared war on criminals, whom he said will get “no mercy” from his government. “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. He promised to continue to invest in security and increase the capacity of the armed forces and other security agencies “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,” he said. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); To buttress this, Tinubu is earmarking ₦ 5.41 trillion, out of ₦58.1 trillion proposed 2026 budget, for security and defence. The amount is the biggest sectoral allocation in the proposal. Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates In This Article: armed men Bandits Mercenaries Tinubu More Stories Armed Men Besiege Oyo State Govt Secretariat Armed Men Kill Two Police Officers In Taraba Armed Men Abduct Farm Owner In Ibadan /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.