Isaac Samuel
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday said terror-related deaths in Nigeria have declined by 81 per cent since 2015, while more than 13,000 terrorists were neutralised in the past year as security forces intensify operations against insurgents and other criminal groups across the country.
Tinubu disclosed this in his Democracy Day address to the nation, where he highlighted significant gains recorded in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other security threats.
The President said his administration had moved beyond military training partnerships with foreign allies to more effective precision-targeting operations against terrorist groups.
“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,” he said.
According to him, terror-related deaths have fallen sharply over the past decade, while thousands of terrorists have been eliminated by security forces in the last year alone.
“Terror-related deaths are down by 81 per cent since 2015. Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year,” Tinubu stated.
The President, however, noted that the Federal Government remained committed to offering repentant insurgents an opportunity to surrender and reintegrate into society.
He revealed that more than 124,000 fighters and their dependants had laid down their arms since 2023 through the Federal Government’s Operation Safe Corridor programme.
“But we also keep the door of surrender open. Over 124,000 fighters and dependants have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor,” he said.
Tinubu stressed that despite the security gains, his administration would continue to invest heavily in strengthening the country’s security architecture.
He recalled that the government had declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers as well as thousands of military recruits to boost security operations nationwide.
The President also disclosed that the 2026 budget earmarked N5.41 trillion for defence and security, describing it as the largest security allocation in Nigeria’s history.
Though he acknowledged that the national mood had been affected by recent kidnappings, including the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states, Tinubu expressed confidence that the victims would be rescued safely.
“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,” he said.
Issuing a stern warning to terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and their sponsors, Tinubu said the government would not hesitate to deploy the full weight of the law against those threatening the nation’s peace and stability.
“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,” the President declared.
He urged Nigerians to remain united in the face of security challenges, insisting that criminality should not be viewed through ethnic or regional lenses.
“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,” he added.
