President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to reject ethnic profiling and avoid assigning blame along ethnic lines in the fight against insecurity, insisting that crime has no ethnicity and that national unity remains essential to defeating terrorism and criminality.
Speaking on security during his Democracy Day address, the President said Nigeria has recorded significant progress in counter-terrorism operations through improved military strategies, international cooperation and enhanced intelligence-led interventions. According to Tinubu, the country has moved beyond conventional joint training exercises with partners such as the United States, France and other European nations to more precise operations targeting terrorist networks and their leadership structures.
The President disclosed that security forces recently achieved a major breakthrough in Arege, Borno State, where operations successfully degraded the command structure of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). He said the achievement formed part of broader efforts to dismantle terrorist networks operating across the country.
Highlighting recent security statistics, Tinubu stated that terror-related deaths have declined by 81 per cent since 2015. He also revealed that more than 13,000 terrorists were neutralised within the past year through ongoing military operations. The President noted that these developments demonstrate the impact of sustained investments in Nigeria’s security architecture and operational capabilities.
Tinubu also pointed to progress recorded under the Federal Government’s surrender and rehabilitation framework for former insurgents.
According to him, more than 124,000 fighters and their dependents have surrendered and laid down their arms since 2023 through the Operation Safe Corridor programme. While reaffirming the government’s willingness to accept further defections, the President warned that the opportunity for surrender would not remain available indefinitely.
“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 said.
The President stressed that security challenges should not be used to deepen ethnic divisions or fuel hostility among communities. “At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity,” he said.
Tinubu argued that the fight against terrorism requires collective national resolve and cooperation across ethnic, religious and regional lines. The emphasis that crime has no ethnicity comes amid ongoing efforts by authorities to strengthen social cohesion while addressing insecurity in different parts of the country.
Tinubu expressed confidence that sustained military operations, peace-building initiatives and national unity would ultimately restore lasting peace and security across Nigeria.
Reiterating that crime has no ethnicity, the President pledged that his administration would continue strengthening security institutions, supporting rehabilitation efforts and pursuing policies aimed at building a safer and more prosperous nation for all citizens.
