FG reclassifies bandits, kidnappers as terrorists under sweeping new security policy

The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared that all bandits, kidnappers and armed non-state actors will henceforth be treated as terrorists, marking a significant shift in the country’s security doctrine.

The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, announced the decision at a press conference on Monday, saying the government would no longer treat mass kidnappings and rural attacks as ordinary crimes but confront them using full counterterrorism measures.

“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,” Idris said.

According to the minister, the policy ends what he described as years of “ambiguous nomenclature” that allowed violent actors to evade the full weight of the law.

“The era of ambiguous nomenclature is over. If you terrorise our people—whether as a group or as an individual—you are a terrorist and will be classified as such. There is no name hiding under this again,” he added.

Idris explained that the new approach would strengthen intelligence sharing and operational coordination among security agencies, enabling faster, more decisive responses to security threats across the country.

He noted that improved inter-agency collaboration had already begun yielding results, revealing that two of the world’s most wanted criminals were arrested in 2025 through coordinated security operations.

The announcement comes amid renewed international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security challenges, following the decision by United States President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over allegations of violence against Christians.