The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s approval of 20,000 additional police recruits, saying the move will not address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Speaking on Thursday at the 9th International Conference on Love and Tolerance in Abuja, Mr Onaiyekan said the government should rather prioritise equipping and deploying already-trained police personnel.

The cleric warned that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder due to delays and half-measures in confronting banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.

“There is no need to deploy 20,000 policemen. We could use the policemen we have,” said Mr Onaiyekan, who raised concerns about how long the recruitment process takes, adding, “In one month, this country can be destroyed.”

He argued that the existing personnel are capable of delivering results if properly motivated and provided with the necessary work tools.

“We should equip the policemen we have now, who are already trained. Though they are carrying bags for madams,” he said, referring to police aides attached to VIPs. “It’s good that they have been withdrawn; let them start working.”

President Tinubu had, last Sunday, during a security meeting with service chiefs and the director-general of the State Security Service (SSS), approved the recruitment of 20,000 officers to boost frontline policing.

The government also announced collaboration with state governments to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.

But Mr Onaiyekan insisted that only decisive action free from political sentiment will defeat the insecurity plaguing the country.

“And let there be the political will to flush the terrorists out of the forest. And we are glad that the language that our president spoke yesterday, but we’ve been listening to that since two years ago.

“What do you have the police for? That’s their job. It’s not even the job of the army. It’s the job of the police,” he said.

He called for unity among citizens, saying both Christians and Muslims must jointly confront their “common enemy,” noting that the criminal elements terrorising communities must be chased out.

“We have finally agreed that we shall join hands and face them. And if we join hands, we can deal with them now. We should be able to deal with them,” Mr Onaiyekan added.