President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) across Nigeria in a major overhaul of security deployment aimed at strengthening community policing.
The directive, announced on Sunday by Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, emerged from a high-level security meeting between the President and Service Chiefs in Abuja as the administration grapples with escalating insecurity nationwide.
According to Onanuga, the policy shift is designed to restore the police force to its “core duties” and improve security presence in communities devastated by terrorist attacks and criminal activities.
Under the new arrangement, VIPs requiring armed security escorts must now apply to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) instead of the police. “VIPs who want police protection will now request well-armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,” Onanuga stated, quoting the presidential directive.
The spokesman explained that numerous remote communities have been left vulnerable due to severe officer shortages at police stations, with personnel diverted to protect politicians and prominent individuals.
“In view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities,” the statement noted.
To address the personnel deficit created by years of inadequate recruitment, President Tinubu has approved the immediate recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers. The administration is also collaborating with state governments to upgrade training facilities nationwide to accommodate the expanded force.
Sunday’s crucial security meeting was attended by key military and intelligence leaders, including 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 Department of State Services Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
The policy announcement comes as Nigeria confronts its worst security crisis in years, with over 250 students and staff from St. Mary’s School in Niger State still held captive following Friday’s mass abduction. Similar attacks in Kebbi, Kwara, and other northern states have forced the closure of dozens of schools and displaced thousands of families.
Critics, including the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, have questioned the administration’s security strategy and called for more aggressive measures beyond school closures and personnel redeployment.
