In a major policy shift, the Federal Government has declared that all bandits, armed men, and kidnappers will be classified and treated as terrorists.
Speaking on Monday, December 22, during his 2025 year-end briefing, Information Minister Mohammed Idris said the administration is moving past what it calls “ambiguous nomenclature,” ensuring a clearer and more forceful response to internal security threats.
The Minister said the administration of President Bola Tinubu would no longer tolerate insecurity under any guise, warning that any individual or group that terrorises Nigerians would be dealt with as terrorists.
“Let me be clear about what this means: henceforth, any armed group that kidnaps our children, that attacks our farmers, that terrorises our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist organisation,” he said.
Idris further maintained that the era of ambiguous nomenclature is over. If you terrorise our people, whether you are a group or an individual, you are a terrorist, and you will be classified as such.”
This policy shift signals a modernized counter-terrorism framework for 2025, moving beyond rhetoric into high-impact operations.
However, the Minister cited the rescue of the 230 victims from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri as a defining victory, proving that the government is now fully equipped to track and reclaim those taken by armed groups.
He also stated that the total number of rescued victims from the St. Mary’s incident stands at 230; no one is left in captivity from that incident. This success follows President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a nationwide security emergency, a move that triggers a massive recruitment drive for the armed forces and police, alongside the deployment of trained forest guards to dismantle criminal hideouts.
“What we used to have were dark, unmanned forest areas that became safe havens for terrorists and criminals,” the Minister noted.
“With this declaration and recruitment drive, there will be no hiding place for criminals and terrorists in our forests.
”If You Terrorize Nigerians, You Are a Terrorist”
Nigeria has adopted a new national counter-terrorism doctrine built on four pillars: unified command, intelligence, community stability, and counterinsurgency. Proof of this improved coordination is the capture of a senior ISWAP leader.
“Two of the most internationally wanted criminals were captured through coordinated action by our security forces,” Idris revealed.
“Abu Bara, who had a bounty placed on his head, has been arrested alongside his chief of staff and is currently facing justice.”
The government’s message to criminal elements is unequivocal: “If you terrorise Nigerians, you are a terrorist.
There is no hiding under any name again,” the Minister stressed, reaffirming a commitment to security as the foundation for economic recovery.
“President Tinubu is putting renewed focus on the security of lives and property, and his promise is that Nigeria will witness a far more secure country,” he said.
While welcoming scrutiny, Idris warned against politicizing security matters. “If you want to counter us, counter us on facts, not emotions,” he asserted.
