President Bola Tinubu on Friday vowed never to be merciful to those involved in terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping in Nigeria.
Tinubu made the assertion while presenting the 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.
He presented a proposed budget of N58.46 trillion, with non-debt recurrent expenditure estimated at N15.25 trillion.
However, Tinubu disclosed that his administration would change its strategy on how to confront terrorism.
He said: “We will show no mercy to all those who commit acts of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping. We will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and violent crime.
“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.
”Let me be upfront with you, this is a reset, a very hard one. Avoiding abandoned projects, unpaid contractual obligations and running multiple budgets. So we are terminating the habit of running 3 budgets on one.
”This budget presents a defining moment and a national journey of reform and transformation, as over the last 2.5 years, my government has methodically confronted long-standing structural weaknesses to stabilise the economy, rebuild confidence.”
2026 budget: I’ll not show mercy – Tinubu warns terrorists, bandits, kidnappers
