FG Declares Armed Groups Attacking Communities as Terrorist Organisations

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa

Abuja — In a sweeping shift in national security policy, the Federal Government of Nigeria has formally declared armed groups that have been carrying out kidnappings, raids and attacks on communities across the country to be terrorist organisations, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced as part of a broader overhaul of the nation’s security architecture. The landmark declaration marks a notable escalation in the government’s strategy to confront violence unraveling in rural and urban areas alike. 

At the centre of the announcement, made during the presentation of the 2026 federal budget to a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja, President Tinubu said the government would no longer differentiate between traditional definitions of criminality and acts of terrorism when violent non-state armed actors operate outside the authority of the state. “Any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actor operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists,” the president declared, outlining a new direction in the nation’s response to widespread insecurity. 

Under the revised security doctrine, groups previously considered under assorted labels such as bandits, kidnappers, cultists or criminal militias will now fall under a unified counterterrorism framework. The president listed several categories of actors to be treated as terrorists, including bandits, militias, armed gangs, criminal networks with weapons, armed robbers, violent cult groups, forest-based armed collectives and foreign-linked mercenaries. He also stressed that individuals or groups using violence for political, ethnic, financial or sectarian objectives will likewise be classified as terrorists under Nigeria’s national security law.

The move reflects growing frustration among citizens and officials over persistent violence that has traumatised communities in states such as Borno, Zamfara, Kogi and Benue, among others, where banditry, kidnappings and raids have driven waves of internal displacement and economic disruption. Rather than treat these acts purely as criminal offences, the federal government’s action aims to bring them within the ambit of counterterrorism law, facilitating more robust and coordinated responses by security agencies. 

In practical terms, the designation broadens the legal tools available to the state, enabling security forces to deploy enhanced investigatory powers, asset freezes, and prosecution under terrorism statutes rather than ordinary criminal code provisions. It also seeks to unify command structures across agencies such as the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, and the Armed Forces, as part of a national counterterrorism doctrine premised on stronger intelligence, inter-agency collaboration, and sustained offensive operations. 

President Tinubu stressed that the policy is not intended to criminalise legitimate social movements or community defence efforts, but to focus on violent groups that wield lethal force outside legal authority and threaten national stability. He underlined the government’s resolve to pursue both the perpetrators and the enablers of such violence, including financiers, arms suppliers, safe-house operators and intermediaries who facilitate the operations of illegal armed groups. 

The declaration also encompasses those who provide logistical support, information or protection to violent actors. In a further expansion of the terrorist designation, the government stated that political protectors, intermediaries, transporters of fighters or weapons, arms suppliers and safe-house owners could be treated as terrorists if they knowingly assist outlawed armed organisations. Experts say this move seeks to address long-standing challenges in countering violent networks that have historically relied on complex support systems to sustain their activities. 

Security analysts describe the new doctrine as a significant policy shift that seeks to tackle Nigeria’s overlapping security threats with a single, comprehensive approach rather than a fragmented series of crime-fighting measures. They argue that armed criminality — including kidnappings for ransom, targeted attacks on farmers, and violent raids on villages — has increasingly resembled asymmetrical warfare, necessitating a response that goes beyond conventional law enforcement. 

Critics caution that the expanded definition carries risks if not applied judiciously, underscoring the importance of safeguarding civil liberties and preventing potential abuses of counterterrorism laws. Civil society and human rights organisations have in the past expressed concerns about overly broad interpretations of terrorism statutes, which they say can be open to misuse against political dissent or non-violent critics of government policy. The government has responded by emphasising that clear legal thresholds and judicial oversight will accompany enforcement actions under the new regime. 

The policy shift arrives amid mounting pressure from communities impacted by insecurity, as families continue to mourn victims of raids, and as farmers and traders confront chronic disruption to their livelihoods. Many residents in conflict-affected states have repeatedly called for decisive action to dismantle armed networks that have operated with impunity in forested and remote areas. 

Beyond domestic considerations, Nigeria’s alignment of violent armed groups with internationally recognised definitions of terrorism may also have implications for regional cooperation. The Sahel and West Africa more broadly face a confluence of threats from Islamist insurgents, cross-border criminal networks, and local armed factions whose tactics often blur the lines between organised crime and terrorism. The federal government’s announcement positions Nigeria to engage more fully with bilateral and multilateral partners on shared security challenges. 

For the government, the declaration represents a strategic recalibration of its counter-violence efforts — one that seeks to bring coherence to how violent threats are classified, resourced and addressed. Whether the policy will translate into rapid improvements in safety and stability remains to be seen, but it underscores the administration’s intent to confront entrenched insecurity with stronger legislative and operational tools. 

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