Terrorism: Tinubu Warns Politicians, Religious Leaders, Traditional Rulers, Others

President Bola Tinubu has declared that henceforth individuals and groups illegally wielding firearms in any part of the country will be treated as terrorists.

The President, who made the declaration on Friday during the presentation of the 2026 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly, said such individuals and groups will be made to face the same consequences as terrorists.

President Tinubu warned that politicians, religious leaders, traditional rulers, protectors of criminals, informants and anyone or group found to be aiding armed groups, will also be regarded as terrorists.

Tinubu said, “Henceforth, and under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists.

“These include bandits, militias, armed gangs, criminal networks with weapons, armed robbers, violent cult groups, forest-based armed collectives, and foreign-linked mercenaries.

“Groups or individuals conducting violence for political, ethnic, financial, or sectarian objectives are also classified as terrorists.

“Members of any group extorting communities, kidnapping civilians, occupying or seeking to occupy territory within Nigeria will be classified as terrorists.

“The denominator is that if you wield lethal weapons and act outside the state’s authority, you are a terrorist. Any individual or entity that enables the listed groups as financiers, money handlers, harbourers, informants, ransom facilitators, and negotiators will also be classified as terrorists.

“Political protectors and intermediaries, transporters, arms suppliers, and safe-house owners will be declared as terrorists. Politicians, traditional rulers, community leaders, and religious leaders who facilitate and encourage violent actions and terror within Nigeria and against our citizens are also terrorists.”

Harping on the need for adequate security for Nigerians anywhere they find themselves in the country, Tinubu hinted at ongoing reforms in the nation’s security forces.

He listed modernisation of the Armed Forces, intelligence‑driven policing and joint operations, border security and technology‑enabled surveillance, and
community‑based peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

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

“To secure our country, our priority will remain on increasing the fighting capability of our armed forces and other security agencies by boosting personnel and procuring cutting-edge platforms and other hardware.

“We are also pursuing a new era of criminal justice system to stamp out terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes.

“Our administration is resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counterterrorism doctrine—a holistic redesign anchored on unified command, intelligence, community stability, and counter-insurgency.

“This new doctrine will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes that have become existential threats to our corporate survival and have heightened anxiety among our people,” the President added.