President Bola Tinubu has declared a “security emergency” and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 new police officers as part of sweeping measures to tackle insecurity across the country.
Mr Tinubu announced this in a televised broadcast on Friday to mark this year’s Democracy Day.
The president acknowledged that this year’s Democracy Day mood was “dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno”, but expressed hope for their safe return.
He stressed that democratic gains cannot be sustained without security.
“Democracy without security is not solid enough. That is why this administration declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military recruits. Our 2026 budget commits N5.41 trillion—our largest ever—to defence and security. Our administration is ever ready to do much more to secure our people,” Mr Tinubu said.
“We have moved from training with our allies, the United States, France and other European countries, to precision targeting. In Arege, Borno State, we degraded ISWAP’s command centre. Terror-related deaths are down by 81 per cent since 2015.”
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He added that over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year.
“But we also keep the door of surrender open. Over 124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor.
“To bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror: Surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State. These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians.
“At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity. We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history. We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation,” he said.
Since assuming office, Mr Tinubu’s administration has continued to face key security challenges: banditry in the North-West, insurgency in the North-East, and kidnapping nationwide.
