President Bola Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency in response to escalating insecurity across the country, directing the military and police to immediately recruit additional personnel.
Under the new directive, the Nigeria Police Force is to recruit 20,000 additional officers, raising the total approved recruitment figure to 50,000. The president also authorised the temporary use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as police training depots, complementing the ongoing upgrade of police training facilities nationwide.
Tinubu further ordered that officers withdrawn from VIP security duties undergo accelerated retraining before deployment to security-challenged areas.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has also been instructed to deploy all trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits operating from forested areas. The agency is to recruit additional personnel to strengthen security across these locations.
The President commended security agencies for their coordinated efforts that led to the rescue of 24 abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers in Kwara State.
He urged them to sustain momentum in rescuing the remaining abducted students of a catholic school in Niger State and other citizens still in captivity.
Tinubu warned that there must be “no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence,” promising full federal support to ensure operational success.
Tinubu called on the National Assembly to commence legislative reviews enabling states that seek to establish state police to do so.
On education and religious gatherings, the President advised states to reconsider operating boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas and urged mosques and churches in vulnerable locations to prioritise security and work with law enforcement.
Addressing herder farmer conflicts, Tinubu emphasised that the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development aims to end recurring clashes.
He urged herder associations to embrace ranching, discontinue open grazing, and surrender illegal weapons, noting that the federal and state governments will collaborate to implement lasting solutions.
The President expressed condolences to families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara states. He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
He urged Nigerians to remain resilient, avoid fear and despair, and stand united to defend the nation’s freedom and values, assuring that his administration remains committed to national unity and peaceful coexistence. (RadioNigeria)
Tension has gripped Niger State after terrorists launched a midnight assault on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Papiri Community of Agwara Local Government Area, abducting an unconfirmed number of students and staff.
Details remain unclear, but according to Daily Trust, multiple sources said that several students were taken during the late-night raid, PUNCH Online had earlier reported.
Fear and uncertainty now hang over the community as families await official updates.
A source from one of the Catholic churches in Niger State confirmed the incident, explaining that the school was still trying to determine the exact number of victims.
“Yes, it is true, but I am not in a position to give details. The church will issue an official statement later in the day,” he said.
When contacted, the Spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said he would provide details later.
However, the Head of Department, Disaster and Relief, Agwara Local Government, Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, confirmed the attack via telephone, revealing that the terrorists struck in the early hours of Friday morning.
He said the “attackers invaded the school between 2am and 3am, adding that the actual number of abducted students and staff had yet to be determined as authorities continue their assessments.”
Arise TV in a separate report on Friday said 52 students were abducted.
The assault comes just days after a similar attack in Maga, Kebbi State, where 25 students were kidnapped, heightening nationwide concerns over worsening insecurity in schools across the North.
The crisis deepened further on Thursday when over 50 schools were shut down in four Kwara State local government areas due to rampaging bandits.
As the situation escalates, President Bola Tinubu has cancelled his trips to South Africa and Angola to coordinate the national response to the deepening security challenges.
Meanwhile, the State Governor, Umar Bago, has also confirmed the incident via his official Facebook handle on Friday.
It was detailed in a statement titled, “Niger State Government Condemns Kidnapping of pupils in Papiri area in Agwara Local Government, Reiterates Earlier Security Directive.”
“The Niger State Government has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St. Mary’s School in Agwara Local Government Area.
“The exact number of abducted pupils is yet to be confirmed as security agencies continue to assess the situation,” the release noted.
It was e-signed by the Secretary to the Niger State Government, Alh. Abubakar Usman.
In February 2021, PUNCH Online reported that no fewer than 42 people, including 27 students, were kidnapped when bandits attacked Government Science Secondary School, Kagara, in Niger State.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has denounced the midnight attack on St. Mary’s School, issuing a Friday statement through its Diocesan Secretary, Rev. Fr. Jatau Luka Joseph.
According to the Diocese, the armed men stormed the school at midnight, shooting a security personnel and abducting several members of the school community.
The Bishop assured the public that the Diocese is working closely with security agencies, community leaders, and government officials to ensure the safe return of all victims.
Appealing for calm, the Diocese urged residents to support ongoing rescue efforts and called for collective prayers for the swift recovery of those taken.
It further reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding children and said additional updates would be released as credible information emerges.
“May the Lord grant quick release to those abducted and continue to protect His people from all danger,” the statement read partly. (Punch)
The Kwara State Government, on Wednesday, directed the closure of schools across four local government areas amid escalating insecurity in the affected communities.
The government’s decision was disclosed by the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kwara State Wing, on Wednesday. In a circular issued on Wednesday and obtained by The PUNCH, the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, announced the shutdown of schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Ekiti LGAs.
Agboola explained that the union was acting strictly on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development after the government raised concerns over fresh security threats in Kwara South.
“Comrade chairmen, this is to inform you and through you, all schools in the above local governments of the instruction to close down all schools with immediate effect until further notice,” the circular read.
“This decision was occasioned by the security challenges ravaging the area and the efforts of the government to control the situation. Treat this information as important and with the urgency it deserves, as it emanated from the ministry.”
He assured school heads and teachers that further directives would be communicated as the situation evolves.
On Wednesday, Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq also announced plans to seek the establishment of a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, following Tuesday night’s deadly bandit attack on a church in the community, which left three worshippers dead and over 35 abducted.
The governor, who visited Eruku for an on-the-spot assessment, disclosed that he had spoken with the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on the urgent security upgrade needed in the crisis-hit area.
“We will speak with the GOC to see that we have a Forward Operating Base in Eruku to enhance security here and also talk to the Inspector General of Police about establishing a mobile squadron here,” Abdulrazaq said.
“It is indeed unfortunate what happened yesterday despite all the effort we have been making. Our main purpose here is to commiserate with the people of the community. All the security agencies are on this. The President had to cancel his trip to the G-20 because of this incident and that of Kebbi State. So the President is aware and we are on top of the situation,” he added.
For many residents, the governor’s visit came after a harrowing night of fear, bloodshed, and unanswered pleas for help.
One of the victims, Adesuyi Joshua, whose wife and granddaughter were among those abducted, recounted the horror.
“They took my wife and our granddaughter, who were in the church, along with about 30 other people. At first, we thought the gunshots were knockouts, but the sound changed. By the time we mobilised ourselves to confront the attackers, it was too late,” he said.
He accused security agents, especially the police, of worsening the situation instead of assisting the community.
“We have soldiers around this place. We also have a police station, but nothing was done throughout the attack.
“When we were pursuing the bandits, the police started shooting from their gate. We thought it was the bandits again. When we got to the station, they tear-gassed us and allowed the attackers to escape,” he alleged.
Another youth leader, Shola Peters, also accused the police of failing the community despite benefitting from local support.
“These are the same police officers the town supported. We built houses for the DPO and the men. When we needed them most, they failed us.
“Instead of joining us to pursue the bandits, they stopped us. The Inspector General needs to probe the Eruku division. All they do here is harass young boys and tag them as Yahoo boys or cultists.
“We need the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General to come and probe the police. We don’t want them again. Let the government give us guns; we can protect ourselves.”
He added that despite having only “a Dane gun and one pump-action,” the youths confronted the armed attackers.
“Their firepower was too much. They came with AK-49 rifles and machine guns.”
Speaking earlier with The PUNCH, the President Pastor of the attacked church, Pastor Lawrence Abiodun Bamidele, said the congregation was holding a thanksgiving service for 18 kidnapped residents freed last week when the bandits struck.
“We are doing Thanksgiving service for the 18 people who were kidnapped three weeks ago, and all of them were rescued. We were thanking God for their safe return, not knowing that danger was lurking around.
“The incident happened unexpectedly and so fast. They came in and surrounded the church, shooting sporadically. Some who ran outside were shot from a tree, which one of the bandits climbed.
“In the pandemonium, three people died on the spot, and about 35 church members were kidnapped. We need government assistance. This attack is the first of its kind in Kwara State in a church.”
The Ekiti LGA Christian Association of Nigeria Coordinator, Pastor Kenneth Adigoke, expressed deep concern, warning that the attack could be interpreted as an assault on the Christian community.
“This attack is just like a direct assault on the Christian community and the body of Christ.
“Look at the situation that happened yesterday, they entered the church and killed three people on the spot, and kidnapped about 35. If they said there is genocide against the church or the Christian community, it can be justified.
“People are not happy. We want the government to handle this insecurity issue dispassionately, and we believe that with prayers, the issue will be tackled.” (Punch)
Kwara Government has scrapped the Parents Teachers Association levy in public primary schools, approving annual school grants instead.
Chairman State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof. Shehu Adaramaja, announced this at the opening of the bid for the 2024 (3rd and 4th quarters) UBEC/SUBEB intervention projects.
PUNCH Online reports that the PTA levy is a fee collected from parents in Nigerian schools to supplement school funding, with the collected funds used for projects, facilities, or activities not covered by the government’s allocation.
While the fee is often minimal compared with charges at private schools, it can impose financial burdens on average families.
In place of the PTA levy, Adaramaja said the state government will provide running costs for the 1,717 public schools.
”The Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has approved the stoppage of the payment of PTA in all public primary schools in the state, from primary 1 to 6, no more payment of PTA in Kwara State,” he said.
The SUBEB boss also announced the approval of the procurement of English and Maths textbooks by the governor for free to the pupils in primary schools in the state.
Speaking on the bid opening, the Chairman said the intervention would cover projects, including the construction of a block of two classrooms with an office and the construction of toilets.
”The intervention also covers the remodelling and renovation of classrooms, drilling of solar-powered boreholes with tank stands, and rehabilitation of digital literacy across the state.
”It also covers the procurement of foundation literacy teaching and learning materials for primary one, fabrication and distribution of 2-seater pupils/students’ furniture and safe schools initiative in some selected local governments, among others,” he said.
Adaramaja said that the governor had equally approved the payment of 2025 counterpart funds for the UBEC/SUBEB intervention projects.
He urged contractors, who would get the jobs, to execute them in line with the specifications, warning that shoddy jobs would not be condoned.
Adaramaja lauded the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hajiya Aisha Garba and other key stakeholders for contributing to the success of the programme.
Responding on behalf of the bidders, Alhaji Maroof Ahmed, who is the Secretary to the Indigenous Contractors Association, thanked the government for allowing them to showcase their talents.
He pledged that their members would deliver quality services and would not let the government and the people of the state down. (Punch)
Ex-police personnel under the aegis of the Kwara State Chapter of Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria held a peaceful demonstration in Ilorin, on Monday, demanding that they be immediately exited from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
They said the scheme has been fraught with a number of challenges since its inception; hence, retired officers who fall in the category of the pension platform should be excused like those who rose to the position of Generals in the force.
In its stead, the protesters sought the establishment of a Police Pension Board with sole responsibility of overseeing the pension matters of the police as applicable in other security agencies.
The ex-Police officers who brandished placards with inscriptions such as “President, NASS and IGP should honourably exempt the police from the “CPS, Establish Police Pension Board to manage gratuity and pensions, “Mr President: Improve Police Welfare for effective service delivery”, If CPS is so good, why did AIGs, DIGs and Is exempt themselves from the scheme?”
The Chairman of the state chapter of ARPON, Yakubu Jimoh, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, who addressed his members during the peaceful demonstration to the Press Centre of the state Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ilorin, pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently come to their aid.
He said the retired police officers should be removed from the contributory pension scheme, adding the force pension board should be established to manage the pension of the officers.
Jimoh stated that the report of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services on the bill for the establishment of Police Pension Board, which was held in public hearing in November last year, should be released, notwithstanding that it was conducted eight months ago.
He also called on the federal government and the National Assembly to fast-track the legislative process for the disbursement of the N758 billion, a pension shortfall owed to security agencies. He noted that retired officers were informed that payment was scheduled for June 2025, but expressed concern about the delay in the disbursement.
He appealed to the National Assembly to expedite action on the payment so as to assuage the suffering of the retirees and improve the retirement welfare of both serving and retired officers.
In the letter of agitation made available to the press, Jimoh said, “Our exit being advocated should be outright removal from the scheme. Since the inception of the contributory pension scheme, it has been one problem or another.
“It is unfortunate that officials of the National Pension Commission/Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), who came to deliver a lecture on the workings of the scheme, do not reveal their bitter experiences in the hands of their host to their masters when they get back.
“We have always resented this contributory pension scheme, which provides gratuity and monthly pension, but it is just a pittance and not a living wage. We are all witnesses to the lamentations of the retired police officers on social media. Imagine Superintendent of Police being paid N2.4million as his gratuity after 35 years of meritorious service and a paltry N30,000 as monthly pension.
“This, to say the least, is responsible for corruption in the Police Force, as the officers want to make it by all means. From Commissioners of Police down the ladder are lamentations of woe. Only the Police “Generalismos”, retired Inspector Generals, Deputy Inspector Generals and Assistant Inspector Generals recently exited the scheme while this agitation was on. They are getting fat pension benefits as the case may be.
“Back to memory lane, when the Military was to exit this scheme, their senior officers did not discriminate. They pulled out all the other ranks. In the case of the Police, IGP Egbetokun was asking a Police lecture parade of Senior Officers and men in Kwara State, Where are you expecting to? Because of the regimentality of the job, the audience kept mute and watched in “admiration” of the Speaker/IGP.
“The answer from retirees since then has been that we want to exit to where the Police Generals had gone to. Those agencies that exited the scheme, such as the Military, DSS, take more pension compared to their counterparts, of the same rank in the Police.”
The Legal Adviser of ARPON, Adekunle Iwalaiye, said the retired officers deserve to be paid living pension away from the crumbs they receive monthly.
Iwalaiye, a retired Superintendent of Police, tasked the government to act on the demand of the retirees, considering the meritorious services they rendered to the country for 35 years.
“We are here to get across to the press so that our voices can be heard in respect of the pains retired Police Officers have been passing through under the current pension scheme. What we are saying is that retired Police Officers are human beings too, that we deserve a living wage, that we are Nigerians with flesh and blood flowing in our veins.
“The set of people you are seeing here are Nigerians who have used 35 years of our youthful age to serve this country in various capacities. Some of us carried bullet wounds and various degrees of wounds suffered in the cause of our service to this nation.
“And that for God being so merciful enough for us to retire well, we deserve a living pension, and our demand is just simple. The government should just do the needful by pulling us out of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), the same way it has been done to some other security agencies in the country.
“It is disheartening for senior citizens to earn peanuts as monthly pension and even money that cannot get you anything as gratuity. Just imagine somebody, who retired after 35 years, being given less than N3million; the money cannot even buy a tricycle, assuming you want to go into a tricycle business.
“Somebody who retires, on a monthly basis, is being given less than N50,000 as pension that cannot even buy a bag of rice. Our wives and children are suffering. Most of our members are dying prematurely of all forms of illness. We can’t take care of our children, either.
“We have chosen not to be violent. We are not violent people. We have served this country diligently and we cannot be part of what will lead to breakdown of law and order,” he said (Punch)
The ongoing offensive against criminal elements in Kwara State has resulted in another mass arrest of several outlaws who were involved in recent security breaches in Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas of the state.
A government House statement released on Thursday said that more than 15 criminals, including an outlaw criminal named Tambaya, have been arrested in the new security clampdown in the area.
“Tambaya was the major mastermind of the recent attack on security forces and vigilantes in Gada, Lafiagi. Tambaya and eight others were arrested in one encounter with the security forces, while several of his gang members were eliminated.
“During the operation, we rescued two victims of their criminality and recovered N11m, which is apparently proceeds of the crime,” the official said.
The crackdowns on the criminals were at the instance of the state government in partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser, state security commanders, and local vigilante.
It would be recalled that the state commissioner of Police Mr Adekimi Ojo while addressing journalists in Ilorin on Friday, July 11, 2025 or so said the Command’s renewed focus on intelligence-led operations and tactical fieldwork is yielding results in curbing insecurity across the state.
In another twist, three women were arrested on June 25 at Babanla Motor Park in connection with arms smuggling. The police recovered an AK-47 rifle with 31 rounds of ammunition hidden in a passenger’s bag.
Interrogations revealed links to a kidnapping syndicate operating out of the Baba-Sango forest. One of the women admitted she was on her way to join her husband, a known kidnapper hiding in the forest. A fourth female suspect fled and is currently at large.
Also alarming was the arrest of Suleiman Jamiu and Mumini Mohammed on July 6 in Share. The duo were found in possession of ₦11.3 million during a late-night stop-and-search. The CP revealed that Jamiu was linked to a February 2025 kidnapping case where ₦20 million ransom was demanded. Investigators believe the cash may be proceeds from ransom payments.
On May 30 and June 1, suspected kidnappers launched deadly attacks in Oro, abducting six people and killing one during raids on a cashew factory and a residential community. Three men, including Mohammed Olaiya Dende and Mohammed Dende, have been arrested and charged with conspiracy, kidnapping, and culpable homicide.
Six other suspects were arrested in connection with the kidnapping of Alhaji Abbass and Abubakar Issa in Lafiagi. Acting on intelligence, police and local vigilantes stormed Gbugbu and apprehended the men, recovering two firearms. The suspects confessed to being part of a syndicate operating between Kwara and Niger States and working under a wanted ringleader known as Tambaya.
In another case, one Buba Lawal was caught in Oko, Ifelodun LGA, with an AK-47 magazine loaded with eight rounds. Police say the suspect is linked to multiple kidnapping attempts and is being profiled for further investigation.
Ojo assured that operations would intensify until all criminal hideouts are uncovered. “These arrests and recoveries are proof that no part of Kwara is safe for criminals,” he said. “We will continue to disrupt their networks and bring every last accomplice to justice.”
In Amoyo on July 4, officers uncovered a locally-made double-barrel pistol after three young men fled from an uncompleted building during a patrol. One of the suspects, known as Olamide alias “Bold”, a notorious drug dealer in the area, is now being sought.
Perhaps the most daring encounter occurred in Okuta, Baruten LGA, where a reported case of kidnapping on June 22 sparked a counter-operation by the police and local security groups.
According to the CP, “One of the suspects was neutralised, another arrested, and the victim found abandoned in the bush.”
An AK-47 rifle and 13 rounds of ammunition were recovered, alongside a red Golf car believed to be used by the kidnappers. One suspect, Idirisu Sariki, is in custody and has confessed to multiple kidnappings in the border region.
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