The Federal Government has designated kidnappers and violent armed groups as terrorists, escalating Nigeria’s response to abductions, attacks on farmers and community violence.
The announcement was made by Information Minister Mohammed Idris at the end-of-the-year press briefing in Abuja on Monday.
This signals a shift from treating mass kidnappings and rural attacks as ordinary crimes to confronting them with full counterterrorism measures.
What Idris said
Idris said the new designation gives security agencies broader authority to pursue, disrupt and dismantle criminal groups terrorising communities.
“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,” the minister said.
He added that the policy shift would strengthen intelligence sharing and operational coordination across security and intelligence agencies, enabling faster and more decisive responses.
Highlighting recent progress, Idris disclosed that improved collaboration had already yielded results.
“In 2025, two of the most internationally wanted criminals were captured through the coordination of our security agencies and those in the intelligence community,” he said.
The tougher stance comes amid growing concern over the use of forests and remote rural areas by kidnappers, bandits and insurgent groups as safe havens, particularly in farming and border communities.
According to the minister, the forest guard initiative is intended to close these gaps by combining surveillance, local intelligence and rapid-response capabilities in hard-to-reach areas.
“Trained and equipped forest guards will be deployed to secure our forests and other vulnerable locations,” Idris said, stressing that criminal groups would no longer enjoy ungoverned spaces.
The move builds on earlier efforts to boost inter-agency coordination and strengthen territorial control beyond major cities.
What this means
By designating kidnappers as terrorists, the government signals zero tolerance for abductions and rural violence while expanding security forces’ powers.
The deployment of forest guards is expected to disrupt criminal supply routes, dismantle camps hidden in forests and reassure farming communities affected by insecurity.
What you should know
According to SBM Intelligence’s latest report on the economics of kidnapping, abductors demanded N48 billion in ransoms during the period, but only 5.35% was actually paid.
In total, 4,722 Nigerians were kidnapped in 997 incidents, while 762 people lost their lives in abduction-related violence.
