The Federal Government of Nigeria has finally designated kidnappers and violent armed groups as terrorists,
The designation is a part of larger security architecture rejig following the declaration of emergency in the security sector by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as his government struggles to tackle rampant violent attacks, abductions and attacks on farmers and communities by Fulani armed terrorists.
Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented upsurge in violent kidnappings in the last two years, a situation that also led to the designation of Nigeria as a country of Particular concern by President Donald Trump of the United States of America for alleged mass Christian genocide in parts of the country.
The latest announcement was made at a press conference on Monday in Abuja by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Mohammed Idris.
The minister said:
“Henceforth, any armed group or individual that kidnaps our children, attacks our farmers, and terrorises our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist.”
“Now, the era of ambiguous nomenclature is over. If you terrorize our people, whether you are a group or you are an individual, you are a terrorist and will be classified as such. There is no name hiding under this again.”
The designation signals a major shift from treating mass kidnappings and rural attacks as ordinary crimes described as “bandit” activities.
The minister added that the new policy would strengthen intelligence sharing and operational coordination across security agencies, allowing for faster and more decisive action.
Idris stated that in a bid to secure vulnerable rural areas, the government would deploy of trained and equipped forest guards that will combine surveillance, local intelligence, and rapid-response capabilities to secure forests and remote locations often used as hideouts by criminal groups.
He said that by classifying kidnappers as terrorists, the government is signaling zero tolerance for abductions and rural violence, while expanding the powers of security forces.
The forest guard initiative is expected to disrupt criminal supply routes, dismantle camps, and provide reassurance to farming communities affected by insecurity.
He said that the arrest of the ISWAP head residing in Nigeria, described as one of the most wanted terrorists on the African continent, who had a substantial bounty placed on him by the United States.
According to him, “The most internationally wanted criminals, the ISWAP head residing in Nigeria, has been captured through the coordination of all the security agencies and those also in the intelligence community.
“Don’t forget that Abu Barra was captured a few months ago, and he was also presented to the public by the National Security Advisor and other security chiefs.
“This is one of the most wanted terrorists on the African continent, and he was captured through the coordination of our security forces
Remember also, this was someone who had a large sum of money put on his head by even the Americans to capture him and bring him to justice.
“As we speak today, this gentleman, together with his chief of staff, are undergoing and having their day in court, and he is going to get justice that befits them.”
