President Bola Tinubu has declared that any individuals or groups conducting violence for political, ethnic, financial, or sectarian objectives will have such acts classified as terrorism.
President Tinubu stated this while presenting the 2026 budget at the joint session of the National Assembly on Friday..
President Tinubu explained that the new doctrine will fundamentally change the way Nigeria confronts terrorism and other violent crimes that have become existential threats to the corporate survival, and heightened anxiety nationwide.
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.”
He added, “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.”
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“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,” the President concluded.
TVC News previously reported that following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of the 2026 budget, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived at the joint session of the National Assembly for the formal presentation on Friday.
At the core of the budget is ₦5.41 trillion allocated for the national security and defence architecture.
President Tinubu, while presenting the 2026 budget, stated that his administration is focused on investing in security with clear accountability for outcomes, stressing that security spending must deliver security results.
Among the focus areas spelt out by the president are the modernisation of the Armed Forces, an intelligence‑driven policing and joint operations, border security and technology‑enabled surveillance and community‑based peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
Defence, Security Gets 5.41 Trillion As Tinubu Presents 2026 Budget, Pledges Robust Development
