Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency in response to a recent surge in mass kidnappings that has left hundreds of people, mostly schoolchildren, in danger.
The announcement comes as authorities scramble to secure victims and strengthen security across the country.
"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.
In just a few days, kidnappers have abducted dozens across Nigeria. Among the victims are 24 Muslim schoolgirls, 38 worshippers, more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school, 13 young women and girls walking near a farm, and another 10 women and children.
While some have been rescued or managed to escape, 265 students and teachers taken from a Catholic boarding school in Niger State on Friday remain missing.
"In view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces," the president said.
Over the weekend, Tinubu ordered police bodyguards assigned to VIPs to return to regular policing duties. He also directed the hiring of 50,000 additional police officers to strengthen law enforcement.
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) notes that over 100,000 of Nigeria’s 371,000-strong police force were previously deployed to protect politicians and other VIPs. This shift has left fewer officers available to tackle widespread insecurity.
Nigeria faces multiple security challenges. Alongside a 16-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast, the country has seen frequent kidnappings for ransom, highlighting a persistent and growing threat to public safety. Authorities are now under pressure to act quickly to protect civilians and restore public confidence.
Beyond the ongoing 16-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast, Nigeria faces widespread kidnappings for ransom. The country was first shocked by mass abduction in 2014, when the extremist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 teenage girls in Chibok, sparking international outrage. Since then, thousands more have been kidnapped, with many incidents going unreported.
In recent years, heavily armed criminal gangs have stepped up attacks in rural northwest and central Nigeria, where government presence is minimal.
These gangs operate from camps in a vast forest spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger states, launching raids that have killed thousands and targeted civilians for ransom.
Tinubu said he was authorizing the intelligence department to "immediately" deploy forest guards to "flush out the terrorists and bandits lurking in our forests" and to hire additional personnel to patrol these areas.
"The times require all hands on deck," he said, pledging to continue efforts to rescue the students and other people still held captive.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were kidnapped in 997 separate incidents, and 762 were killed, according to SBM Intelligence. During this period, kidnappers demanded roughly 48 billion naira in ransom but succeeded in collecting only 2.57 billion naira (around $1.66 million).
The Lagos-based security advisory firm said the kidnappings had evolved into a "structured, profit-seeking industry."
The latest wave of attacks comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump warned of potential military action in Nigeria over the reported mass killings of Christians by radical Islamist groups.
President Tinubu has also urged mosques and churches to seek security protection during prayers, especially in areas considered vulnerable, highlighting the government’s concern for public safety amid the rising wave of kidnappings.
