By Tajudeen Kareem
It is too early to decipher whether Nigerians approve or disapprove of Mr Trump’s use of ‘missiles are dropping’ tactics in fighting terrorism, but undoubtedly this country has embraced a fresh momentum in the battle against terrorists with Thursday’s US precision strikes on ISIS targets in North West region.
Nigeria is experiencing a seismic transformation in its approach to combating terrorism, marked by President Bola Tinubu’s unveiling of a comprehensive new counter-terrorism doctrine that fundamentally redefines how the nation confronts existential security threats. This revolutionary framework, coupled with unprecedented international military cooperation, signals a decisive turning point in Nigeria’s long-standing battle against violent extremism.
The new security architecture represents a dramatic departure from previous approaches, establishing what Tinubu describes as a “holistic redesign anchored on unified command, intelligence, community stability, and counter-insurgency.” This comprehensive strategy addresses not just the symptoms of terrorism but its root causes, while simultaneously expanding the definition of terrorist activities to encompass all forms of armed non-state violence.
In a bold policy shift announced during the presentation of the 2026 Budget to the National Assembly, President Tinubu declared that “any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists.” This expansive definition encompasses bandits, militias, armed gangs, criminal networks, armed robbers, violent cult groups, forest-based armed collectives, and foreign-linked mercenaries.
The doctrine extends beyond direct perpetrators to include enablers of terrorist activities. “Any individual or entity that enables the listed groups as financiers, money handlers, harbourers, informants, ransom facilitators, and negotiators will also be classified as terrorists,” Tinubu emphasized. This new approach targets the entire ecosystem supporting terrorist operations, including political protectors, intermediaries, transporters, arms suppliers, and safe-house owners.
Most significantly, the new framework holds accountable those in positions of authority who facilitate violence. “Politicians, traditional rulers, community and religious leaders who facilitate and encourage violent actions and terror within Nigeria and against our citizens are also terrorists,” the President declared, signalling an end to the culture of impunity that has long plagued Nigeria’s security sector.
The effectiveness of Nigeria’s new security approach was dramatically demonstrated on Christmas Day 2025, when the United States, in cooperation with Nigerian authorities, launched precision airstrikes against ISIS targets in Northwest Nigeria. President Donald Trump announced the operation on his Truth Social platform, stating: “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” Not exclusively, as witnessed in the Christmas Eve explosion inside Gamboru Mosque, in Maiduguri!
This military action represents the culmination of intensified US-Nigeria security cooperation that has been building since late November. Intelligence-gathering surveillance flights conducted by Mississippi-based Tenax Aerospace using Gulfstream V aircraft have been operating over Nigerian territory almost daily, according to flight tracking data and US officials. These flights signal the depth of intelligence sharing between the two nations in their joint counter-terrorism efforts.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the collaboration, stating that the precision strikes were part of “structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America,” involving “intelligence sharing, strategic coordination and other forms of support in line with international law, respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and shared security commitments.”
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The Tinubu administration has reinforced its commitment to decisive action against terrorists through legislative and judicial measures. Despite opposition from the Nigerian Bar Association and the National Human Rights Commission, the Federal Government maintains its position on implementing the death penalty for kidnappers and bandits.
Information and National Orientation Minister, Mohammed Idris defended the policy during the government’s end-of-year press conference, stating: “The Nigerian government will not do anything that is not consistent with the laws of the nation. Nigeria as a sovereign country has its laws and is being governed by these laws, and all the operators, including the security agencies, are acting within the ambit, within the parameters of those laws.”
This hardline stance reflects a broader shift toward accountability-driven security spending. As President Tinubu emphasized in his budget presentation: “We will invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes—because security spending must deliver security results.”
Strategic Investment in Security Infrastructure
The President has decided to walk the talk with an hefty N58 plus trillion for security in the 2026 Budget. He is proposing to spend significant resources to modernize Nigeria’s security apparatus. The priority areas include Armed Forces Modernization with a view to boosting personnel strength and procuring cutting-edge platforms and hardware and increase fighting capability; intelligence-driven policing to enhance joint operations and technology-enabled surveillance systems; border security enhancement with advanced technological solutions for monitoring and controlling Nigeria’s extensive borders and Community-Based Peacebuilding which seeks to invest in conflict prevention and community stability programs.
These investments are designed to support the four pillars of the new counter-terrorism doctrine namely unified command, intelligence, community stability, and counter-insurgency operations.
The administration is simultaneously pursuing comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s criminal justice system to combat more effectively, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes. This “new era of criminal justice” aims to create systemic changes that will “stamp out” permanently these existential threats to national security.
The integrated approach recognizes that effective counter-terrorism requires not just military solutions but comprehensive institutional reforms that address the entire spectrum of security challenges facing the nation.
How Nigerians respond
The new approach has garnered significant support from security experts and civil society leaders. Senator Shehu Sani described the US-Nigeria joint military operation as a “conscionable action,” while emphasizing that “Nigeria must ultimately take responsibility for its own security.”
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju praised the decisive action, calling on President Tinubu to “stop showing sympathy to terrorists and offering them pardon.” His comments reflect growing public support for tougher measures against terrorist groups.
Nigeria’s new counter-terrorism architecture represents more than policy reform—it embodies a fundamental shift in national security philosophy. By combining comprehensive legal frameworks, international cooperation, technological advancement, and community engagement, the Tinubu administration has created a multi-layered approach designed to address terrorism at its roots.
The success of recent joint operations with international partners, particularly the precision strikes against ISIS targets, demonstrates the practical effectiveness of this new paradigm. As Nigeria continues to strengthen its security capabilities while maintaining respect for sovereignty and human rights, the nation stands at the threshold of a new chapter in its fight against terrorism.
The message is clear: Nigeria’s tolerance for terrorist activities has ended, and the country now possesses both the political will and international support necessary to decisively confront the security challenges that have plagued it for over a decade. The combination of expanded legal definitions, enhanced enforcement mechanisms, and unprecedented international cooperation creates a formidable framework for achieving lasting peace and security. So that Nigerians can sleep and close their eyes!
*Kareem is a public policy analyst in Abuja.
