President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned terrorists, bandits and kidnappers operating across the country to surrender or face decisive action from security forces, declaring that his administration will show no mercy to those responsible for violence against Nigerians. The President issued the warning on Friday, June 12, during his Democracy……
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned terrorists, bandits and kidnappers operating across the country to surrender or face decisive action from security forces, declaring that his administration will show no mercy to those responsible for violence against Nigerians.
The President issued the warning on Friday, June 12, during his Democracy Day address, where he highlighted what he described as significant gains in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.
According to Tinubu, terror-related deaths in Nigeria have dropped by 81 per cent since 2015, while more than 13,000 terrorists were neutralised in the past year alone.
He said security forces have also intensified precision military operations against terrorist groups, including a recent operation that degraded an ISWAP command centre in Arege, Borno State.
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“We have moved from training with our allies, the United States, France and other European countries, to precision targeting,” the President said.
Tinubu disclosed that over 124,000 terrorists and their dependants have surrendered under the Federal Government’s Operation Safe Corridor programme since 2023.
Despite the successes recorded through the rehabilitation programme, the President warned that the window 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,” he said.
The President also reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, noting that more than 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military recruits have been approved to strengthen security operations nationwide.
Tinubu added that the 2026 budget earmarked N5.41 trillion for defence and security, the largest allocation to the sector in the country’s history.
While acknowledging the recent abduction of children in Oyo and Borno states, the President expressed optimism that the victims would be rescued safely, stressing that democracy cannot thrive without security.
He urged Nigerians to remain united in the fight against criminality, insisting that insecurity should not be viewed through ethnic or regional lenses.
“At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity. We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history,” Tinubu said.
