Tinubu drops final warning to bandits and kidnappers today

President Bola Tinubu just gave the strongest warning yet to bandits, kidnappers, and terror sponsors during his June 12 democracy day broadcast. He said the windows of surrender will not remain open forever and told them to surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State. This is not the usual soft talk, he made it clear that no mercy will be shown to those trading in the blood of Nigerians.

He gave some numbers that got my attention. Terror-related deaths have dropped by 81% since 2015 according to him, and over 13,000 terrorists were neutralised in the past year alone. He also mentioned that more than 124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor. The 2026 budget commits N5.41 trillion to defence and security, the largest ever, and they have recruited over 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military recruits.

But here is the thing that got me thinking. He said we should not assign blame or point fingers because crime has no ethnicity. That is a hard sell when our children are still being abducted in Oyo and Borno even as he spoke. Democracy without security is a mirage, he said himself. So are we actually safer now than we were three years ago, or are these numbers just for the cameras?