President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared all armed groups to be terrorists, including Fulani militias, bandits, violent cults, and non-state players with guns who operate outside of official authority.
During Friday’s presentation of the N58.46 trillion 2026 Appropriations Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly, the President revealed this.
He characterized the action as a new counterterrorism philosophy that labels any armed groups that operate outside of state authority as terrorists, including armed gangs, militias, robbers, and their community or political supporters.
According to the President, Nigeria’s security framework has undergone a “holistic redesign” as a result of the new security overhaul, which is based on community stability, intelligence cooperation, unified command, and counterinsurgency operations.
He clarified that the move would prevent risks to the nation’s corporate existence and increased public anxiety.
He declared, “Any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists under this new architecture.”
He lists them as “bandits, militias, armed gangs, criminal networks with weapons, armed robbers, violent cult groups, forest-based armed collectives, and foreign-linked mercenaries.”
He went on to say that organizations or individuals using violence for “political, ethnic, financial, or sectarian objectives” would likewise be classified as terrorists.
Remember that Tinubu proposed a 2026 budget of N58.46 trillion, of which N5.41 trillion went for defense and security.
Nigerians, meanwhile, have asked that Tinubu’s administration address insecurity.
Amid a wave of kidnappings, the Nigeria Union of Teachers has lately warned to stop providing its services if security is not ensured.
