Foreign report urges Egbetokun to Reassign Police From VIP Duties to Public Security

For decades, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has prioritised the protection of Very Important Persons (VIPs) over its core duty of safeguarding the general public. With insecurity rising nationwide, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun is being urged to end this practice.

A European Union Agency for Asylum report shows thousands of officers are assigned to VIPs, including politicians and fr@udsters, creating a severe shortage. With 371,800 officers for 236 million people in 2024, Nigeria’s police-to-citizen ratio is one per 637, below the UN standard of one per 450. Over 100,000 officers serve VIPs instead of the public.

Past attempts to correct this failed. Buhari ordered withdrawal of officers from unauthorised VIPs in 2015, but enforcement was inconsistent. Subsequent directives by other IGs were reversed, leaving many rural areas under-protected.

Police are still attached to politicians long out of office, while Nigerians face kidnappings, robberies, and k+llings. Save the Children reported over 1,680 schoolchildren k+dnapped in 2023, and the Missing Persons Platform recorded that more than half of Africa’s missing persons in 2024 were Nigerians. The Red Cross says 23,659 Nigerians remain missing.

VIP protection has been monetised, with officers serving as paid security for politicians, celebrities, and wealthy individuals. The Force has also ceded some internal security duties to the military.

Egbetokun must enforce his 2023 and 2025 orders, redeploy officers to core duties, and retrain them. Public safety must take priority over VIPs. Reforming the Force and reviewing the Police Act are critical to restoring trust and improving national security.