Tinubu Declares Security Emergency, Orders Deployment of Forest Guards and Boosts Police Recruitment to 50,000 Officers

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, declared a nationwide security emergency in a televised address, unveiling a sweeping set of measures aimed at tackling the escalating violence, mass kidnappings, and terrorism plaguing Nigeria.

The declaration came in response to the recent surge in attacks, including the horrific abductions of hundreds of schoolchildren and worshippers across Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara States.

“Today, in view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces,” President Tinubu stated. “This is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas.”

Police Manpower Boost and Deployment

The central pillar of the emergency response is a massive injection of personnel into the security forces. The President authorized the Nigeria Police Force to recruit an additional 20,000 officers, supplementing earlier approvals to bring the total intake to 50,000 personnel.

To accommodate this unprecedented recruitment drive, police authorities have been empowered to use existing National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as temporary training depots, accelerating the capacity-building process. Furthermore, the thousands of police officers recently withdrawn from VIP guard duties were ordered to undergo “crash training” to prepare them for immediate deployment to frontline security areas.

Targeting Forest Hideouts

Recognizing that forests serve as critical sanctuaries for criminal gangs, the President also empowered the Department of State Services (DSS) to fully activate its security architecture. The DSS was directed to deploy all already trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits from their hideouts, with the directive to recruit additional personnel to strengthen these operations.

President Tinubu commended the security forces for the successful rescue of the kidnapped schoolgirls in Kebbi and worshippers in Kwara, but vowed to sustain efforts to free the remaining students and teachers still held hostage in Niger State and other parts of the country.

Finally, the President pledged federal support for states with existing security outfits and called on the National Assembly to begin reviewing laws to allow states willing to do so to establish their own police forces, signaling potential far-reaching reform of Nigeria’s policing structure.