President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday declared a nationwide security emergency and directed Nigeria’s security agencies to embark on large-scale recruitment to tackle rising insecurity across the country.
In a national statement issued from the State House, the President announced that the Nigeria Police Force has been authorised to recruit an additional 20,000 personnel, raising its current recruitment drive to 50,000 officers. The Nigerian Army has also been cleared to take in more men and women to strengthen operations in conflict-prone areas.
Tinubu explained that the decision follows the increasingly complex security threats confronting the nation, stressing that “the times require all hands on deck.”
He also approved the use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as training depots for new police recruits, complementing the earlier upgrade of police training facilities nationwide. Officers previously attached to VIP guard duties are to undergo rapid retraining and be redeployed to frontline areas.
The President further directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately deploy trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits hiding in forested regions. The agency has also been empowered to recruit additional personnel “to ensure there will be no more hiding places for agents of evil.”
Tinubu commended security agencies for the rescue of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers abducted in Kwara State. He assured the nation that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of remaining hostages, including students of the Catholic School in Niger State.
“To the leadership and rank and file of our Armed Forces, I commend your courage and sacrifice,” the President said. “There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence. The Nigerian people are counting on you.”
He pledged continued federal support for state-backed security outfits and urged the National Assembly to begin reviewing laws to enable states wishing to establish their own police forces to do so.
Tinubu also appealed to state governments to reconsider the siting of boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas and encouraged religious centres in vulnerable communities to work closely with security agencies when organising gatherings.
Speaking on the enduring conflict between herders and farmers, the President called on herder associations to embrace the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development and transition fully to ranching. He urged them to surrender illegal arms and abandon open grazing, describing ranching as “the path forward for sustainable livestock farming and national harmony.”
The President expressed sympathy to families affected by attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe, and Kwara States and paid tribute to fallen military personnel, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
Warning violent groups not to misinterpret government restraint as weakness, Tinubu affirmed that his administration possesses “the courage and determination to keep the country safe.”
He urged citizens to remain calm, vigilant, and supportive of security agencies: “We are in this fight together, and together we shall win.”
The President concluded by praying for the protection of Nigeria’s armed forces and the continued peace of the nation.
