President Bola Tinubu has warned bandits, kidnappers and terror sponsors to surrender or face the full force the Nigerian state.
The President gave the warning while addressing the nation in a national broadcast to commemorate democracy day.
President Tinubu warned the bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terror that the window to surrender would not last forever, stressing that mercy would not be shown to anyone who shed the blood of Nigerians.
“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.”
“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. We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation.”
The President acknowledged that this year’s mood is dampened by the recent abductions in the country, but gave assurance that all those in captivity would soon return safely.
He admitted that democracy without security is not solid enough.
“Though this year’s mood is dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno, we remain hopeful for their safe return. Democracy without security is not solid enough. That is why this administration declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military recruits. Our 2026 budget commits N5.41 trillion—our largest ever—to defence and security. Our administration is ever ready to do much more to secure our people.”
“We have moved from training with our allies, the United States, France and other European countries, to precision targeting. In Arege, Borno State, we degraded ISWAP’s command centre. Terror-related deaths are down by 81% since 2015. Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year. But we also keep the door of surrender open. Over 124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor. “