President Tinubu on Wednesday November 26th officially declared a nationwide security emergency across Nigeria, in reaction to a recent surge in kidnappings, bandit attacks and other forms of violence.
Under the emergency declaration, the government has authorised a major expansion of personnel for the country’s security forces. The Nigerian Police Force will recruit an additional 20,000 officers raising the planned intake to 50,000 while the Nigerian Armed Forces is also cleared to increase its manpower, with the aim of strengthening security deployments nationwide.
As part of the crackdown, the Department of State Services (DSS) has been empowered to immediately deploy trained forest guards to flush out bandits and terrorists alleged to be hiding in forests signalling a renewed push against criminal hideouts and insurgent enclaves.
Tinubu commended security agencies for recent successful operations including the rescue of 24 kidnapped schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers abducted in Kwara State and pledged continued efforts to recover other hostages still held in captivity, such as students taken from a school in Niger State.
In his nationwide address, the President urged Nigerians to remain calm, vigilant and cooperative with security agencies. He also called on states to reconsider operating remote boarding schools without adequate security and encouraged religious institutions and other community-gathering institutions to seek security support proactively.
Finally, Tinubu asked the National Assembly to begin work toward revising the legal framework to allow states interested in establishing their own policing systems (“state police”) — a move he said could improve local security responses amid the evolving threat landscape.
The nationwide security emergency marks one of the most sweeping moves by the federal government in recent years, reflecting the gravity of the current security crisis and the urgency of restoring stability across Nigeria.
