Nigeria's President Tinubu declares ‘nationwide security emergency’ amid surge in mass kidnappings
Abuja: In a move to address the escalating wave of mass kidnappings and armed violence across the country, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a "nationwide security emergency" on Wednesday.
The president further announced a security plan that will see the recruitment of thousands of additional personnel for both the military and police forces. “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, as cited by news agency AFP.
Kidnappers have recently targeted various groups across Nigeria, abducting schoolchildren, worshippers, and women in separate incidents. Within a single week, at least 25 schoolgirls, 38 worshippers, 315 schoolchildren and teachers, 13 young women and girls near a farm, and 10 women and children were kidnapped.
While dozens of victims have been rescued or managed to escape, more than 265 children and their teachers remain missing after being seized from a boarding school in Niger state last week, reported AFP.
“In view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces,” Tinubu added.
The president has ordered the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, which will increase the police force's strength to 50,000.
The government has also approved the use of National Youth Service Corps camps as training facilities. Furthermore, Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of officers from VIP guard duties for redeployment to conflict zones after crash retraining.
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Man sets fire to gas cylinder on truck in Kerala's Kottayam, held
Kottayam(Kerala) (PTI): A 33-year-old man climbed onto a parked truck carrying cooking gas cylinders and set fire to one of them near Thalayolaparambu in the small hours of Saturday, police said.
The incident occurred around 12.30 am, they said.
The fire and rescue personnel soon arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire, averting a major disaster.
According to police, the man is suspected to be under mental distress as he claimed that he was walking from Ernakulam to his home in Marangattupilly here when he saw the truck on the roadside.
An FIR under sections 329(3)(criminal trespass),324(2)(mischief),326(f)(mischief by injury, inundation, fire or explosive substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was lodged against him.
Police said that the man was formally arrested, but will be released on station bail as the offences he is accused of are bailable.
"His family is here at the station and he will be released to them," the officer said.
In the FIR, police have said that the man opened the seal of one of the gas cylinders and set fire to it with the knowledge that his act was dangerous to those living in the area.
According to the company transporting the cooking gas cylinders, it suffered a loss of Rs 2,300 in the incident.
