The Nigerian government has taken a tough stand against kidnappers and armed men in the country by classifying them as terrorists.
The move was announced on Monday, 22 December 2025, by the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, at the federal government’s end-of-year press briefing that was held in Abuja.
This policy shift marks a significant departure from previous approaches, where mass kidnappings and rural attacks were often treated as conventional crimes.
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Idris said, “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 organisation. This is the declaration that Mr President has made.
“Now, the era of ambiguous nomenclature is over. If you terrorise our people, whether you are a group or you are an individual, you are a terrorist and will be classified as such. There is no name hiding under this again,” the minister said.
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.
– Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information & National Orientation#CTVTweets pic.twitter.com/wHpAk1r7zT
— Channels Television (@channelstv) December 22, 2025
The Minister said the move would also improve the sharing of intelligence among security agencies, leading to quicker responses.
The minister further noted that stronger inter-agency collaboration is already yielding results, citing the arrest of two internationally wanted criminals in 2025 through joint security operations.
To safeguard and protect the vulnerable communities, the Minister said that forest guards are being deployed to protect forests and other remote areas that armed men use as their den.
The government said the move was to disrupt criminal supply lines, dismantle camps, protect and assure farmers and communities affected by insecurity.
Idris said the coordinated effort helped to capture the head of ISWAP in Nigeria in 2025, highlighting the importance of intelligence sharing that the development would yield.
“The most internationally wanted criminals, the ISWAP head residing in Nigeria, has been captured through the coordination of all the security agencies and those also in the intelligence community.
“Don’t forget that Abu Barra was captured a few months ago, and he was also presented to the public by the National Security Advisor and other security chiefs.
“This is one of the most wanted terrorists on the African continent, and he was captured through the coordination of our security forces.
“Remember also, this was someone who had a large sum of money put on his head by even the Americans to capture him and bring him to justice.
“As we speak today, this gentleman, together with his chief of staff, is undergoing and having their day in court, and he is going to get justice that befits them,” he said.
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