KEY POINTS
- Tinubu approved recruiting more than 50,000 police officers and thousands of military personnel.
- The 2026 budget earmarks N5.41trn for defense and security, the largest ever.
- He voiced hope for the safe return of pupils abducted in Oyo and Borno.
President Bola Tinubu has announced plans to recruit more than 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military personnel to strengthen security across the country, while voicing hope for the safe return of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states. He made the disclosure in his Democracy Day address on Friday.
Security takes center stage
Tinubu acknowledged that the celebration carried a heavy mood because of the recent abductions, yet he assured Nigerians that efforts to free the captives continue. “Though this year’s mood is dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno, we remain hopeful for their safe return,” he said.
Moreover, the President tied security firmly to democratic governance, arguing that democracy cannot flourish amid fear. “Democracy without security is not solid enough,” he said. According to him, the administration declared a security emergency and moved decisively to reinforce the country’s security architecture.
Bigger budget, blunt warning
Furthermore, Tinubu said the government approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and thousands of military recruits to boost operations nationwide. He also disclosed that the 2026 budget earmarks N5.41 trillion for defense and security, which he described as the largest allocation in the nation’s history. “Our administration is ever ready to do much more to secure our people,” he said.
In addition, the President issued a blunt warning to criminals, urging them to surrender or face the law. “To bandits, kidnappers, 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,” he declared.
Consequently, he appealed for national unity and cautioned against attempts to give crime an ethnic coloring. “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,” he said.
Ultimately, Tinubu struck an optimistic note about the country’s direction, reaffirming his administration’s resolve to defeat terrorism and build a safer, more prosperous nation. “We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation,” he added.
