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Nigeria Declares Security Emergency, Expands Forces and Names Envoys After Mass Kidnappings

The measures respond to mass abductions, reflecting mounting U.S. pressure over Nigeria’s security record.

Parents of abducted school children gather at the St. Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri community, Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo )
Parents of abducted school children gather at the St. Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri community, Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo )
A worried parent of abducted school children looks on at St. Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri community, Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo )
Parents give their children's information to authorities outside the St. Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri community, Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo )

Overview

  • President Bola Tinubu ordered large-scale recruitment, including 20,000 additional police to take the intake to 50,000, and opened National Youth Service Corps camps for training.
  • He directed the withdrawal of officers from VIP protection for crash retraining and redeployment, and authorized the DSS to field trained forest guards and hire more personnel.
  • Authorities highlighted recent rescues of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi and 38 worshippers in Kwara, while hundreds of students and staff abducted in Niger state remain unaccounted for with no claim of responsibility.
  • Tinubu canceled foreign trips as several states closed schools, urged tighter protection for schools and worship centers, and pressed lawmakers to enable state police.
  • Seeking to repair diplomatic gaps, Tinubu nominated Ayodele Oke as ambassador to the U.S., named envoys to the U.K. and France, and set up a U.S.–Nigeria security working group led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.