President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the recruitment of an additional 6,000 policemen as part of fresh measures aimed at tackling the nation’s security challenges.

Buhari made the disclosure in a special interview session with the Hausa Service of the Voice of America (VOA) in Washington DC, United States on Tuesday morning.

The President who is in the United States on the invitation of the American President, Donald Trump said additional security measures were also being put in place to check the rising cases of insecurity across the country.

Buhari said: “We will put in place more measures to check insecurity in the country, including increasing the number of policemen and training them.

“I have approved the recruitment of 6,000 policemen by the Police authorities and I directed that those recruited must come from all the 776 local government areas of the federation.

“Even if it means recruiting one person each from the 776, they should do that instead of going to motor parks, railway stations or markets for the recruitment exercise. I gave them this directive.”

He expressed his reservation on the call for the establishment of state police as being advocated by state governors, adding that Nigerians must abide by constitutional provisions in regards to the matter.

He also used the medium to debunk insinuations that Christians were being killed by herdsmen. He argued that the clashes had been in existence for several years and that the crisis has worsened as a result of the conflict in Libya which claimed the life of that country’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi.