Following the recent mass abductions in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu is putting measures in place to address the unfortunate incident. On Wednesday, he announced a nationwide emergency.
Under the emergency measures, the government plans to recruit 20,000 additional police officers, bringing the total force to 50,000. The intelligence service has also been authorized to deploy forest guards to protect remote communities from armed groups.
“My fellow Nigerians, this is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas,” Tinubu said in a statement. Nigeria’s constitution permits the president to declare an emergency during national crises.
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Pressure on the government has intensified following recent attacks and warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump. Last week, gunmen abducted 25 students in Kebbi State and more than 300 in Niger State. Those taken from Kebbi have been rescued and reunited with their families, while authorities continue the search for the others.
Trump’s accusations of persecution against Christians and threats of “guns-a-blazing” intervention have further highlighted Nigeria’s deepening security challenges.
In addition to reinforcing police presence, Tinubu called for increased protection of schools, churches, and mosques in remote areas to deter attacks. Analysts, however, warn that the measures may not be sufficient to reverse the surge in insecurity.
“I don’t think it goes far enough. This is because the ruling elites are yet to awaken to the major reality that the issue has gone beyond throwing bodies at the problem in terms of recruitment for the security forces,” said Confidence McHarry, a senior security analyst at Lagos-based geopolitical consultancy SBM Intelligence, speaking to The Associated Press.
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McHarry added that the recruitment plan is unlikely to succeed unless the government also addresses the root causes of conflict, such as local grievances, troop welfare, and broader accountability issues.
Nigeria faces threats from multiple armed groups, including Boko Haram, its splinter faction Islamic State West Africa Province, and other criminal networks that often attack for financial gain.
The last time Nigeria declared a state of emergency over insecurity was in 2013 in the northeast, aimed at countering the growing threat from terrorist organizations.
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