President Bola Tinubu has indicated a more severe and unrelenting approach toward combating armed organizations and those who fund, shelter, or enable violent offenses throughout Nigeria.
Tinubu conveyed this during a speech on Friday in Abuja to a combined meeting of the National Assembly while unveiling the 2026 budget proposal amounting to N58.18 trillion.
He declared that all such armed entities would be classified as terrorist groups and insisted that every unit of currency designated for security in the 2026 fiscal plan must yield tangible enhancements in national safety.
The leader emphasized that safeguarding the nation is essential for progress. He pointed out that the 2026 financial framework would bolster the updating of military forces, policing reliant on data, and collaborative safety initiatives.
He elaborated that in the absence of proper protection and foundational facilities, capital inflows would falter, and advancements in learning, healthcare, efficiency, employment, and business expansion would suffer.
Tinubu further noted that the plan places emphasis on securing borders, monitoring through advanced tech, and initiatives for peace at the community level along with averting disputes.
He committed to ongoing funding for security measures with strict oversight for effectiveness, underlining that expenditures in this area need to produce verifiable achievements.
As per his statement, the focus will stay on boosting the operational strength of the military and security bodies, especially by supplying state-of-the-art tools and additional resources to improve their performance.
“We are initiating a fresh phase in handling criminal activities. We will extend no leniency to individuals who carry out or back terrorism, banditry, abductions for money, and similar aggressive acts.
“Our government is overhauling the framework for national defense and introducing a novel comprehensive strategy against terrorism, a complete overhaul based on centralized leadership, data collection, local steadiness, and efforts to suppress uprisings.
“This innovative strategy will transform our methods for addressing terrorism and other forms of violence.
“Within this updated system, any armed faction or weapon-bearing unauthorized actors functioning beyond governmental control will be deemed terrorists.
“This includes bandits, rebel groups, criminal syndicates, armed thieves, aggressive sects, woodland-based militants, and mercenaries connected to foreign entities.
“We will pursue all perpetrators of violence driven by political or religious motives, including those who provide funding and support for their malicious plans,” he asserted.
From the total of N58.18 trillion, N5.41 trillion is designated for defense and safety, N3.56 trillion for building infrastructure, N3.52 trillion for educational purposes, and N2.48 trillion for health services.
