Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s measures follow the abduction of 303 children from Papiri, a remote community, in the latest mass school kidnapping.

The moves mark one of the most sweeping security recalibrations since kidnappings for ransom escalated in central and northern states more than a decade ago.

Tinubu Orders Security Force Overhaul

Tinubu on Wednesday ordered an overhaul of Nigeria’s security forces and described the situation as “a national emergency,” according to a presidential statement.

The plan authorizes the recruitment of an additional 20,000 security personnel on top of 30,000 already approved, with the police instructed to “recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.”

Police Protection For Elites Curtailed

The president ordered the withdrawal of police officers assigned to protect public figures and celebrities so they can be redeployed to “security-challenged areas.”

Reports cited in the statement say around 100,000 officers out of an estimated 371,000-strong police force are currently guarding political and public figures, a deployment critics have long argued drains resources from ordinary citizens.

Forest Rangers Given Offensive Mandate

Tinubu’s directive also authorizes forest rangers to conduct offensive operations against armed groups sheltering in forests, where many kidnap-for-ransom gangs operate.

Armed groups locally known as bandits have been blamed for deadly raids and abductions across Nigeria’s central and northern provinces for over 10 years, often targeting villages, highways and schools.

Mass School Abductions Resurface

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of 303 children from Papiri last Friday, though authorities say 50 of the students have since escaped.

The article notes that mass school abductions had decreased in the past two years, but the latest case coincides with pressure from the Trump administration on Nigeria to address what it calls the persecution of Christians, a characterization Nigeria’s government rejects.