The Federal Government has formally classified kidnappers and violent armed groups operating across the country as terrorists, signalling a tougher approach to tackling abductions, attacks on farmers and persistent rural insecurity.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the decision on Monday during the Federal Government’s end-of-year press briefing in Abuja.
According to Idris, the new designation ends the practice of treating mass kidnappings and coordinated attacks on communities as ordinary criminal acts and brings them fully under Nigeria’s counterterrorism framework.
“Henceforth, any armed group or individual that kidnaps our children, attacks our farmers or terrorises our communities will be treated and dealt with as a terrorist,” the minister said.
He stressed that the government would no longer tolerate vague labels for criminal groups terrorising citizens.
“The era of ambiguous nomenclature is over. If you terrorise our people, whether as a group or as an individual, you are a terrorist. There is no hiding under any other name again,” Idris declared.
The minister explained that the policy shift would enhance intelligence sharing and improve operational coordination among security agencies, enabling quicker and more decisive responses to threats.
Idris said improved collaboration among security and intelligence agencies had already yielded results, citing the arrest of two high-profile terrorists in 2025 through joint operations.
“One of the most internationally wanted terrorists on the African continent, the ISWAP leader who was residing in Nigeria, has been captured through the coordination of our security agencies and the intelligence community,” he said.
He also recalled the earlier arrest of another notorious terrorist, Abu Barra.
“Don’t forget that Abu Barra was captured a few months ago and presented to the public by the National Security Adviser and other security chiefs. These arrests show what coordinated security efforts can achieve,” the minister added.
Idris disclosed that some of the arrested suspects had large bounties placed on them by foreign governments and are currently facing trial.
“As we speak, this individual, together with his chief of staff, is undergoing trial and will face justice accordingly,” he said.
As part of broader efforts to secure rural and hard-to-reach areas, the minister announced the deployment of trained and equipped forest guards to forests and remote locations often used as hideouts by criminal groups.
According to him, the forest guards will combine surveillance, local intelligence gathering and rapid response to disrupt criminal networks and protect farming communities.
The Federal Government said the classification of kidnappers and bandits as terrorists underscores its zero-tolerance stance on abductions and violent crimes, while expanding the legal and operational powers of security agencies to restore safety nationwide.
