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President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to reject ethnic profiling and unite against insecurity, declaring that criminality should never be linked to any tribe, religion or region of the country.
Speaking during his 2026 Democracy Day address, Tinubu urged citizens to avoid assigning blame along ethnic lines, insisting that terrorism, banditry and kidnapping remain threats to all Nigerians regardless of their background.
“At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity,” the President said. “We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history.”
Tinubu acknowledged that the country was marking Democracy Day amid concerns over the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states. However, he expressed optimism that the victims would regain their freedom while assuring Nigerians that security agencies were intensifying efforts to tackle criminal groups.
“Though this year’s mood is dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno, we remain hopeful for their safe return. Democracy without security is a mirage,” he said.
The President highlighted steps taken by his administration to strengthen security operations, including the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and additional military personnel. He also noted that the 2026 budget allocated ₦5.41 trillion to defence and security, the largest such provision in Nigeria’s history.
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According to him, security forces have recorded significant gains against insurgent groups, including the destruction of key terrorist strongholds and a sharp decline in terror-related fatalities across the country.
“We have moved from training with our allies to precision targeting. In Arege, Borno State, we degraded ISWAP’s command centre. Terror-related deaths are down by 81 per cent since 2015, while over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year,” Tinubu stated.
The President also renewed his administration’s offer of rehabilitation for repentant fighters but warned that the opportunity would not remain open indefinitely for those financing or sponsoring violence.
“To bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terror: surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State. These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians,” he warned.
Tinubu’s remarks echo recent comments by Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), who similarly cautioned against stereotyping entire ethnic groups because of the actions of criminal elements.
Both leaders argued that crime should be treated as an individual offence and not used as a basis for stigmatising communities, warning that ethnic blame could further deepen divisions at a time when national unity remains critical to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
