President Bola Tinubu announced that over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralized within the past year, marking a massive shift toward precision operations in Nigeria’s security strategy.
President Bola Tinubu has announced a monumental breakthrough in Nigeria’s internal security matrix, revealing that state forces have successfully neutralized more than 13,000 terrorists over the past year as part of an intensified campaign to eradicate insurgency across the federation.
Delivering his nationwide Democracy Day address on Friday, June 12, 2026, the President emphasized that the military has pivoted away from basic routine training exercises with international allies like the United States, France, and various European partners, moving instead toward highly aggressive, intelligence-driven precision-targeting operations.
A key milestone of this strategic evolution includes a recent high-impact offensive in Arege, Borno State, which effectively dismantled a critical command center belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province. According to the Commander-in-Chief, these sophisticated tactical operations have contributed significantly to a staggering 81 percent decline in terror-related fatalities across Nigeria since 2015.
While asserting undeniable military dominance on the battlefield, President Tinubu reiterated that the Federal Government remains deeply committed to non-kinetic strategies designed to permanently deplete the ranks of the insurgency by offering rehabilitation pathways for repentant fighters.
Through the ongoing Operation Safe Corridor initiative, more than 124,000 insurgents and their dependants have voluntarily laid down their weapons and surrendered since 2023.
However, the President issued a stern, uncompromising ultimatum to active bandits, kidnappers, and the financial sponsors of terror, warning them to immediately embrace peace or face the devastating, full force of the Nigerian state.
He made it clear that the current windows of amnesty will not remain open indefinitely, promising that absolute severity will be shown to individuals who continue to trade in the blood of innocent citizens.
Concluding his address, Tinubu urged the nation to remain resilient and unified, cautioning Nigerians against viewing localized criminality through divisive ethnic or regional lenses, while assuring the public that the enemies of the state would soon be completely defeated.
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