No Mercy For Terrorists, Bandits, Kidnappers — Tinubu Declares Total War In 2026 Budget Speech

Abuja, Nigeria– President Bola Tinubu on Friday issued a sweeping hardline warning to terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, declaring that his administration would show “no mercy” to anyone involved in violent crimes as he presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to a Joint Session of the National Assembly in Abuja.

Speaking during the budget presentation, Tinubu said national security remains the foundation of Nigeria’s development, stressing that the 2026 Budget prioritises decisive action against insecurity across the country.

According to the president, the proposed budget strengthens support for the modernisation of the Armed Forces, intelligence-driven policing and joint security operations, border security and technology-enabled surveillance, as well as community-based peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

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

“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.”

The president vowed that his administration would usher in what he described as a “new era of criminal justice,” warning that individuals who commit or support terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes would face the full force of the state.

“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,” he said.

Tinubu also announced that his government is resetting Nigeria’s national security architecture through the establishment of a new national counterterrorism doctrine.

He said the doctrine represents a holistic redesign of the country’s security approach, anchored on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability and counter-insurgency operations.

“This new doctrine will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes,” the president said.

Under the proposed security framework, Tinubu said any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actor operating outside state authority would be officially designated as terrorists.

He listed bandits, militias, armed gangs, armed robbers, violent cult groups, forest-based armed groups and foreign-linked mercenaries as targets of the new security strategy.

“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,” Tinubu added.