Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, has urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the planned recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, stressing that Nigeria’s priority should be equipping and supporting those already in service.

Speaking Thursday at the 9th International Conference on Love and Tolerance in Abuja, Onaiyekan warned that Nigeria cannot afford further delays in confronting insecurity.

“We must build bridges so that Christians and Muslims can jointly confront our common enemy — those killing our people. If we join hands, we can defeat them. With the soldiers and police we currently have, we should be able to deal with the situation,” he said.

The cleric questioned the necessity of recruiting thousands of new officers, emphasizing instead the need for better welfare, equipment, and operational support for existing security agencies.

“I’m not even sure we need 20,000 more policemen. What we need is to properly arm and treat the officers we have so they can do their jobs effectively,” Onaiyekan stated.

He also noted that while global conversations on religious harmony are expanding, Nigeria continues to experience rising internal polarization.

His comments come shortly after President Tinubu announced plans to recruit 20,000 new police personnel as part of his administration’s security reforms.