In a sweeping response to the nation’s security challenges, President Bola Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered a massive recruitment drive for the nation’s security forces, aiming to put thousands more “boots on the ground.”
The cornerstone of the new strategy is a significant expansion of personnel. The Nigerian Army has been authorized to recruit an unspecified but substantial number of new soldiers, while the Nigeria Police Force is set to undergo its largest single intake in recent memory, with an order to recruit an additional 20,000 officers.
“This is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas,” President Tinubu stated in a address from the Statehouse. “The times require all hands on deck.”
The police recruitment push will bring the total number of new officers to 50,000, a move intended to rapidly bolster the force’s capacity across the country. To accommodate the unprecedented influx of recruits, the President has authorized the police to utilize various National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as temporary training depots. This directive comes alongside a previously approved nationwide upgrade of police training facilities, indicating an urgent effort to scale up training capacity.
In a related development, the Department of State Services (DSS) has been ordered to immediately deploy all trained forest guards and to “recruit more men to man the forests.” This initiative is specifically aimed at denying bandits and terrorists safe haven in the nation’s vast woodland areas. “There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil,” the President declared.
The announcement also detailed a plan for officers currently withdrawn from VIP guard duties. These personnel are to undergo “crash training to debrief them and deliver more efficient police services” before being redeployed to frontline areas facing severe security threats.
The President directly addressed the leadership and rank and file of the Armed Forces, commending their courage and sacrifice while charging them to remain resolute. “There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence. The Nigerian people are counting on you, and this administration will provide the support you need to succeed,” he said.
This large-scale recruitment drive signals the administration’s primary tactical shift towards a manpower-intensive strategy to combat insecurity. The government is betting that a significant increase in the number of security personnel, combined with renewed vigor, will be decisive in flushing out insurgents and restoring peace across the country.
As the recruitment process begins, all eyes will be on the security agencies to rapidly process, train, and deploy this new wave of personnel to the nation’s hotspots.
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