• Tinubu directs security agencies, NEC to reorganise nationwide deployment
• Forest guards to be armed; grazing reserves to be converted into ranches
• President pushes livestock reform, warns officials to report threats immediately
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full-scale overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture, directing the Inspector-General of Police, heads of security agencies and the National Economic Council (NEC) to immediately reorganise deployments nationwide and implement new measures to combat kidnapping, terrorism and farmer–herder clashes.
The directive was issued during Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting, where the president insisted that extraordinary steps were necessary to protect vulnerable communities.
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Tinubu ordered the arming of forest guards and tasked the National Security Adviser and Civil Defence Corps to take the directive seriously, saying Nigeria needs “all the forces we can utilise” to tackle rising insecurity.
He also instructed Vice President Kashim Shettima to work with NEC to identify existing grazing reserves and settlements that can be rehabilitated into modern ranches and livestock communities. The move is part of the administration’s livestock reform agenda aimed at ending violent conflicts and boosting economic opportunities.
The president further told officials to immediately notify the Inspector-General of Police if they encounter security threats during the implementation process, noting that he had given clearance for urgent response.
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Tinubu directed the Minister of the Interior to collaborate with the police and Civil Defence Corps to replace officers currently on special duties to ensure community policing is not weakened.
He reiterated that land allocation for livestock projects rests with state governors and urged them to designate suitable areas for ranching, emphasising the need to convert conflict zones into productive agricultural hubs.
The directive comes weeks after the president ordered the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs, a policy now being enforced with the recall of over 11,500 officers. Earlier on Wednesday, the Senate appealed to Tinubu to exempt lawmakers from the policy.
