President Bola Tinubu has vowed that his administration will show no mercy to terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and their sponsors.
He also declared a renewed offensive against violent crime as part of a sweeping reset of the country’s security architecture.
Tinubu made the pledge while presenting the N58.18tn 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly on Friday.
Hours earlier, the Federal Executive Council approved the budget framework at an emergency meeting presided over for the first time by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The proposed budget is titled, ‘Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity’.
The President earmarked N5.41tn for Defence and Security, the single largest allocation in the proposed budget.
This marks the third consecutive year that defence and security spending has taken priority since the administration began presenting national budgets in November 2023.
Tinubu said the defence budget reflected his government’s resolve to make security the foundation of national development.
He pledged that security spending under his administration would be tied to accountability and measurable outcomes, with a focus on boosting the operational capacity of the armed forces and other security agencies through modern equipment and hardware.
The President vowed to deal with terrorists and their sponsors, reiterating that his administration would show no mercy to those involved in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes.
“We will show no mercy. We will usher in a new era of criminal justice. We will act firmly against those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes,” Tinubu said.
He further disclosed that his administration was resetting the country’s national security architecture and introducing a new counter-terrorism doctrine.
The approach, he explained, was built on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counter-insurgency operations.
Under the new doctrine, all armed groups or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be classified as terrorists.
