*Approves 50,000 police, thousands of military recruits

*As president defends record on national security

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday morning made a spirited defence of his record on security of lives and property, saying more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised in the past year as part of intensified efforts to combat insecurity across the country.

Tinubu, who spoke in his Democracy Day address to the nation, stated that democracy cannot thrive in an atmosphere of insecurity, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the country.

“Democracy without security is a mirage. That is why this administration declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military recruits,” he said.

The President said that under his administration, Nigeria has moved beyond routine military training exercises with international partners, to more effective precision-targetting operations against terrorist groups.

Recalling a recent operation in Arege, Borno State, which successfully degraded a command centre of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), he said: “We have moved from training with our allies, the United States, France and other European countries, to precision targetting.

“In Arege, Borno State, we degraded ISWAP’s command centre. Terror-related deaths are down by 81 per cent since 2015. Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year.”

The President however said the federal government remained committed to non-kinetic approaches to the fight against insurgency by providing opportunities for willing fighters to surrender and reintegrate into the society.

He said more than 124,000 insurgents and their dependants had laid down their arms since 2023 through the federal government’s Operation Safe Corridor programme.

“But we also keep the door of surrender open. Over 124,000 fighters and dependants have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor,” he said.

The President warned bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terrorism to embrace peace or face the full force of the law.

“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.

Tinubu urged Nigerians to remain united in the face of security challenges, stressing that criminality should not be viewed through ethnic or regional lenses.

“At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity. We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history. We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation,” he said.