President Bola Tinubu has issued a strong warning to financiers and perpetrators of terrorism in Nigeria, declaring that they will face severe consequences as the federal government intensifies its counter-insurgency operations.
In his Democracy Day address marking 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule, Tinubu directed bandits, kidnappers and their sponsors to surrender or confront the full strength of the Nigerian state, insisting that his administration would show no leniency to those responsible for violence.
“To bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror: Surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State,” the President said, adding that “no mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians.”
He disclosed that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised within the past year, while claiming that terror-related deaths had dropped by 81 per cent since 2015.
According to him, over 124,000 fighters and their dependents have also surrendered under the government’s rehabilitation programme.
Tinubu, however, acknowledged that the celebrations were overshadowed by ongoing insecurity, particularly the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno States, which has persisted for weeks.
He stressed that the government had declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of over 50,000 police officers alongside additional military personnel to bridge manpower gaps in the security sector.
The President also highlighted the 2026 budget allocation of ₦5.41 trillion to defence and security, describing it as the largest in Nigeria’s history and a clear commitment to ending terrorism.
On strategy, Tinubu said Nigeria had shifted from training collaborations with foreign partners to precision military operations targeting terrorist enclaves, citing recent gains in Borno state against ISWAP elements.
He urged Nigerians to remain united in addressing insecurity, warning against ethnic or religious profiling of criminal acts, and insisted that the country would overcome its current security challenges.
Despite the progress claimed by the administration, Tinubu admitted that the continued kidnapping of schoolchildren had dampened national celebrations, reiterating his hope for their safe return.
