New Era of Criminal Justice: Tinubu Uses Budget Speech to Proscribe Bandits, Kidnappers as Terrorists

Eshioromeh Sebastian in Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s national security strategy, using his 2026 Budget presentation to announce the formal proscription of all armed non-state actors, including bandits, kidnappers, and militias, as terrorists.

The landmark policy was unveiled on Friday as the President presented the N58.18 trillion “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity” to a joint session of the National Assembly.

In a forceful segment of his address dedicated to national security, President Tinubu stated, “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.”

He detailed that his administration is “resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counterterrorism doctrine,” describing it as a holistic redesign anchored on unified command, intelligence, and community stability.

“Under this 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,” the President declared.

The new doctrine mandates that security operations and legal prosecutions will now treat these entities under the full weight of terrorism laws, which carry stricter penalties and broader operational mandates for security forces.

To back this strategic reset, the 2026 Budget allocates N5.41 trillion to defence and security, the largest sectoral allocation. President Tinubu stated the funds would focus on “increasing the fighting capability of our armed forces” with “cutting-edge equipment,” modernising intelligence, and boosting joint operations.

The President framed the hardline security stance as the essential foundation for the budget’s broader economic objectives. “Without security, investment will not thrive,” he stated, linking the policy directly to his administration’s goals for job creation, infrastructure development, and shared prosperity.

Legal and security analysts anticipate that this formal proscription will lead to more aggressive military campaigns, stricter judicial processes for apprehended suspects, and potentially, the designation of specific groups and their enablers under terrorism financing regulations.