Tinubu orders withdrawal of police from VIPs, directs redeployment to core security duties
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers assigned to guard Very Important Persons, VIPs, across the country, directing that the personnel be redeployed to core policing duties in communities nationwide.
A statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President, said the directive was issued during a high-level security meeting held on Sunday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Those in attendance included the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and Director-General of the State Security Service, SSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
According to the presidential instruction, VIPs requiring protection will now be required to seek security personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, which will provide well-armed operatives for such duties.
The move, the President noted, is aimed at addressing the insufficient police presence in many parts of the country, particularly in remote areas where police stations are operating with minimal manpower—making it difficult to safeguard lives and property.
President Tinubu said that given the prevailing security challenges across the nation, it has become imperative to strengthen police capacity and improve visibility at the community level.
To this end, the President has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers, while the federal government is working with state governments to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.
The policy shift marks a significant restructuring of security priorities, with emphasis placed on community policing and strengthening frontline response to threats.
