President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday vowed to intensify Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, declaring that his administration would show “no mercy” to those responsible for violence across the country.
Speaking in his Democracy Day address, the President said security remains central to the survival of Nigeria’s democracy, particularly amid recent incidents of mass abductions and attacks on communities.
Though acknowledging that this year’s Democracy Day celebrations were overshadowed by the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states, Tinubu assured Nigerians that the government was taking decisive measures to restore peace and secure lives.
“Democracy without security is not solid enough,” the President said.
Tinubu disclosed that his administration had declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers alongside thousands of military recruits to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
He added that the 2026 budget earmarked N5.41 trillion for defence and security, describing it as the largest allocation ever made to the sector.
“Our administration is ever ready to do much more to secure our people,” he stated.
Highlighting recent gains against insurgents, the President said Nigerian security forces had moved beyond conventional training exercises with international partners to more precise and targeted operations against terrorist groups.
According to him, security operations in Arege, Borno State, successfully degraded a major command centre of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while terror-related deaths have fallen significantly over the years.
“We have moved from training with our allies, the United States, France and other European countries, to precision targeting. In Arege, Borno State, we degraded ISWAP’s command centre,” Tinubu said.
The President further claimed that terror-related deaths had declined by 81 per cent since 2015 and that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised within the past year.
While maintaining a hardline stance against violent criminals, Tinubu said the government would continue to offer pathways for rehabilitation and reintegration to those willing to renounce violence.
He noted that more than 124,000 fighters and their dependants had surrendered under Operation Safe Corridor since 2023.
However, he warned that the opportunity for surrender would not remain open indefinitely.
“To bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror: Surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State. These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians,” the President declared.
Tinubu also urged Nigerians not to politicise criminality or associate crime with any ethnic group, stressing that national unity remains critical to defeating insecurity.
“Crime has no ethnicity. We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history,” he said.
The President expressed confidence that ongoing military and security operations would eventually overcome the country’s security challenges and create the conditions necessary for national development and prosperity.
“We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation,” he added.This security angle is probably the strongest hard-news story from the speech because it combines a major policy announcement (N5.41 trillion security budget), fresh security claims, and Tinubu’s strongest quote: “No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians.”