By ERICJAMES OCHIGBO

President Bola Tinubu has signalled a tougher, more ruthless crackdown on armed groups and individuals who finance, harbour or facilitate violent crimes across the country.

Tinubu made this known on Friday in Abuja while addressing a joint session of the National Assembly during the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill of N58.18 trillion.

He stated that all armed groups would be treated as terrorists and emphasised that every naira allocated to security in the 2026 budget must result in improved safety for Nigerians.

The president said national security remained the foundation of development.

He noted that the 2026 budget would strengthen support for the modernisation of the Armed Forces, intelligence-driven policing, and joint security operations.

He explained that without adequate security and infrastructure, investment would not thrive, while education, public health, productivity, jobs, and enterprise growth would also be constrained.

Tinubu added that the budget prioritises border security, technology-enabled surveillance, and community-based peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

He promised sustained investment in security with clear accountability for outcomes, stressing that security spending must deliver measurable results.

According to him, priority would remain on increasing the fighting capability of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, with particular attention given to enhancing their effectiveness through the provision of cutting-edge equipment and other hardware.

“We will usher in a new era of criminal justice. We will show no mercy to those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes.

“Our administration is resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counterterrorism doctrine, a holistic redesign anchored on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counter insurgency.

“This new doctrine will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes.

“Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists.

“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,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that of the N58.18 trillion, N5.41 trillion was allocated to defence and security while N3.56 trillion was earmarked for infrastructure.

The education sector received N3.52 trillion and N2.48 trillion was earmarked for the health sector. (NAN)