Tinubu vows to go after perpetrators of violence, their financiers

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu vowed on Friday that his administration will henceforth show no mercy to those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes.

The President said this while announcing the plan of his administration to usher in a new era of new era of criminal justice during the presentation of the 2026 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly on Friday.

The President who noted that national security remains the foundation of development said the 2026 Budget will strengthens support for modernisation of the Armed Forces; intelligence‑driven policing and joint operations; border security and technology‑enabled surveillance; and community‑based peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

Tinubu also said the investment in security by his administration in 2026 will be with clear accountability for outcomes as security spending must deliver results.

“To secure our country, our priority will remain on increasing the fighting capability of our armed forces and other security agencies and boosting the effectiveness of our fighting forces with cutting-edge equipment and other hardware.

“We will usher in a new era of criminal justice. We will show no mercy to those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes, Tinubu said.

He also added that his administration is resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counterterrorism doctrine anchored on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counter – insurgency.

“This new doctrine will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes,” the President said while adding that under the new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists.

“Bandits, militias, armed gangs, armed robbers, violent cults, forest-based armed groups and foreign-linked mercenaries will all be targeted.

“We will go after all those who perpetrate violence for political or sectarian ends, along with those who finance and facilitate their evil schemes.