By Muhammad Mamman
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a national security emergency, unveiling what may be the most sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture in decades. In a nationwide address, he announced massive recruitment across the Armed Forces, the Police, and key paramilitary units, alongside urgent structural reforms aimed at tackling the escalating wave of kidnappings, banditry, and communal violence.
Under the new directive, the Nigerian Police Force will embark on an additional recruitment of 20,000 officers — bringing the total expansion plan to 50,000 personnel. NYSC camps, the president said, will be converted into supplementary training depots to fast-track the process. Officers currently assigned to VIP protection will undergo accelerated retraining and be redeployed to high-risk zones across the country.
Tinubu also ordered the Department of State Services to immediately deploy all trained forest guards and begin fresh recruitment to flush out terrorist cells, bandits, and other armed groups operating from forested areas nationwide.
The president praised recent security successes — including the rescue of 24 abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers in Kwara State — while pledging intensified operations to free all remaining hostages.
Tinubu reaffirmed the federal government’s full backing for state-level security initiatives and urged the National Assembly to expedite amendments that would allow willing states to establish their own police forces. He appealed to state governments to reassess the operation of boarding schools in isolated areas and advised religious centres to adopt heightened security measures.
On the recurring farmer-herder clashes, the president pointed to the newly established Ministry of Livestock as the vehicle for ending the decades-long crisis. He called on herders to embrace ranching, stop open grazing, and surrender illegal weapons.
Paying tribute to fallen soldiers — including Brigadier-General Musa Uba — Tinubu extended condolences to families affected by recent attacks in multiple states. He warned criminal groups that the government’s previous restraint should not be misconstrued as weakness, promising that security forces would now respond with clarity and force.
Calling for unity and vigilance, the president urged Nigerians to work closely with security agencies. “We are in this fight together,” he said, “and together we shall win.”
