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President Bola Tinubu on Friday issued an ultimatum to bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terror, warning that the window for surrender will not remain open forever.
Speaking during his Democracy Day address to the nation, Tinubu said the government would keep the door open for surrendering fighters but would show no mercy to those who refuse.
“To bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror: surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian state,” Tinubu said.
“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 noted that over 4,000 fighters and their dependents had laid down arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor.
“We turn our former enemies into citizens because every life saved is a fresh day for democracy,” he said.
Tinubu said his administration had chosen both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to restore peace, declaring a security emergency and approving the recruitment of 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military recruits.
He noted that the 2026 budget commits 5.41 trillion naira, the largest ever, to defence and security.
“We have moved from training with our allies to precision targeting. We have degraded ISWAP command centres. Terror-related deaths have been neutralised in the past year,” he said.
The president called for national unity in the fight against insecurity.
“Let us set aside 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,” he said.
Tinubu acknowledged that the mood of this year’s Democracy Day celebration was dampened by the abduction of schoolchildren.
“Though this year’s mood is dampened by the abduction of our children, we remain hopeful for their safe return,” he said.
He also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and all political parties to ensure that upcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states are peaceful and credible.
The president paid tribute to patriots who endured persecution, imprisonment, exile and death so that future generations could enjoy democracy.
“Criticise me, disagree with me, but never stop believing in Nigeria,” Tinubu told the nation.
