Tinubu Declares Security Emergency, Recruits 20,000 Police

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency on Wednesday, ordering the recruitment of thousands of additional police and army personnel to combat escalating armed violence and kidnappings across multiple states.

In a televised address from Abuja, Tinubu announced that the police force would hire 20,000 more officers, increasing its total strength to 50,000. He authorized the use of National Youth Service Corps camps as temporary training facilities and directed the withdrawal of officers from VIP protection duties for rapid retraining and redeployment to high-risk areas. The president also empowered the Department of State Services to deploy trained forest guards and hire more staff to target armed groups operating in remote forests. "There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil," Tinubu stated.

The measures follow a series of deadly attacks in recent weeks, including incidents in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe, and Kwara states that left dozens of civilians killed and kidnapped. Security forces successfully rescued 24 schoolgirls abducted from a boarding school in Kebbi and 38 worshippers taken during a gathering in Kwara. Tinubu...