President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday declared a nationwide security emergency in response to the escalating insecurity across the country, directing the military, police, and intelligence agencies to immediately ramp up personnel strength and operations.
In a statement personally signed by the President, he authorised the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force to commence large-scale recruitment, including the enlistment of an additional 20,000 police officers, raising the total new intake to 50,000.
He also approved the use of NYSC orientation camps as temporary training depots to accelerate police preparation and deployment.
Tinubu further ordered that police officers withdrawn from VIP protection duties undergo a mandatory crash retraining programme, after which they will be redeployed to conflict-prone areas to boost security operations.
The President empowered the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately deploy trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits hiding in forests nationwide. The agency was also directed to recruit additional personnel to strengthen intelligence-led forest operations.
Calling the situation a “national emergency,” Tinubu pledged intensified ground operations in all troubled regions and urged citizens to support efforts to secure the country.
He commended the security services for the recent rescue of 24 kidnapped schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 abducted worshippers in Kwara State, noting that efforts continue to free the remaining abductees, including students taken in Niger State.
Tinubu also advised state governments to reconsider the location of boarding schools in remote, insecure areas and urged religious institutions, churches and mosques to seek security protection during large gatherings.
He reaffirmed his administration’s willingness to support states that establish their own security outfits.
The President called on the National Assembly to begin the process of amending existing laws to enable willing states to create state police, describing it as a necessary step for an effective nationwide security framework.
On the persistent herder–farmer conflicts, Tinubu appealed to herder associations to end open grazing and surrender illegal weapons, stressing that ranching is now the sustainable path forward. He highlighted the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development as part of the government’s long-term solution to the crisis.
The President expressed sympathy for victims of recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe, and Kwara States, and paid tribute to fallen military personnel, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
Warning that the government’s restraint should not be mistaken for weakness, Tinubu reaffirmed his determination to restore peace and stability nationwide. He urged Nigerians to remain calm, vigilant, and cooperative with security agencies in the collective fight against terrorism and banditry.
