President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency, unveiling sweeping measures aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s response to terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes.
Central to the new directive is a massive recruitment drive across the Armed Forces and police, along with immediate deployment and restructuring within key security agencies.
The President announced that the Nigeria Police Force will recruit an additional 20,000 personnel, raising the total number of new intakes to 50,000.
To accelerate training, Tinubu authorised the use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as temporary training depots, complementing the ongoing upgrade of official police training facilities.
He further ordered that police officers withdrawn from VIP escort duties undergo intensive crash training before being redeployed to volatile parts of the country where manpower is urgently needed.
In a similar vein, the Department of State Services (DSS) has been directed to immediately deploy all trained forest guards to comb and secure forests where terrorists and bandits have taken refuge.
The President also instructed the agency to recruit additional personnel to ensure that “no forest remains a hiding place for criminality.”
Recent releases lauded
The President commended the combined efforts of security agencies in securing the recent release of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi and 38 worshippers abducted in Kwara.
He urged them to sustain the momentum, particularly in the rescue operations for students of Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still in captivity.
Tinubu was emphatic against compromise, collusion, and negligence,” stressing that his administration will provide all necessary support for security operations.
Tinubu reaffirmed federal backing for states that have established complementary security outfits, while calling on the National Assembly to begin reviewing Nigeria’s laws to allow states interested in creating state police to do so.
He also urged state governments to reconsider operating boarding schools in remote, poorly secured areas, and encouraged religious centres in vulnerable regions to maintain active collaboration with security agencies.
Addressing persistent farmer–herder conflicts, Tinubu highlighted the creation of the Livestock Ministry, urging herder associations to embrace ranching, end open grazing, and surrender illegal weapons.
The federal government, he assured, is partnering with states to resolve the crisis permanently.
The President extended condolences to families of victims of recent attacks across several states and paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
While warning those testing the government’s resolve, Tinubu urged Nigerians to stand firm, reject fear, and remain united, promising that his administration remains committed to safeguarding peace, freedom, and national unity.
