President Bola Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency and backed the creation of state police as Nigeria confronts rising attacks, mass abductions and banditry. He said the Federal Government would support state security outfits and urged the National Assembly to amend laws so that states that want state police can establish them.
Tinubu ordered large-scale recruitment across the Armed Forces and police as part of the emergency response. The police were directed to recruit 20,000 extra personnel, raising the current intake to 50,000, convert National Youth Service Corps camps into temporary training centres and retrain officers withdrawn from VIP duties for deployment to high-risk areas.
The President also authorised the Department of State Services to deploy trained forest guards to clear terrorists and bandits from forests and recruit more operatives. He described the situation as a national emergency that demands more personnel on the ground and urged Nigerians to support security agencies and report threats quickly.
Tinubu praised security forces for rescuing abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State and kidnapped worshippers in Kwara State and said efforts were ongoing to free other hostages, including students seized in Niger State. He warned security operatives against compromise or collusion and reminded them that citizens are relying on their courage and professionalism.
The President advised states to reconsider locating boarding schools in remote, poorly secured areas and encouraged religious institutions in vulnerable communities to seek regular police protection. On the farmer–herder crisis, he appealed to pastoralists to embrace ranching, end open grazing, use the new Livestock Ministry and surrender illegal weapons, promising cooperation with states to resolve the conflict.
Tinubu condoled with families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara, and paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba. He cautioned that those testing the government’s resolve should not mistake restraint for weakness, saying his administration is determined to secure the country.
At a joint meeting in Ogun State, the Southern Governors’ Forum and the Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council renewed their call for state police and deeper regional security cooperation. They agreed that successful community and regional security outfits prove the need for decentralised policing and pledged to strengthen local structures with equipment, logistics and operational support.
The forum resolved that each geopolitical zone in the South would contribute to a joint security fund and hold monthly zonal security coordination meetings of security advisers. It also adopted an intelligence-sharing system backed by modern communication tools to allow real-time monitoring and coordinated responses across states, with joint investments in cross-border communication equipment.
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