Tinubu Orders immediate Police Withdrawal From VIP Protection, Redirects Officers to Core Duties

 

President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate withdrawal of police personnel attached to VIPs, ordering that the officers be reassigned to core policing responsibilities across the country.

The directive was issued during a security meeting attended by top security chiefs, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.

The meeting followed rising cases of abd¥ctions and heightened security thr+ats nationwide.

Tinubu ordered that going forward, police personnel should focus strictly on their primary law-enforcement duties. VIPs requiring security escorts, he said, must now obtain “well-armed personnel” from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, highlighted that many communities—particularly remote areas—are critically understaffed, leaving police stations with “few policemen” and complicating efforts to protect residents.

“In view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities,” Onanuga stated.

He added that “Already, President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers. The federal government is also collaborating with the states to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.”