Tinubu orders withdrawal of Police from VIPs, recruitment of 30,000 officers

 

.directs NSCDC personnel to take over 

By Our Reporter 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons (VIPs) in different parts of the country, saying that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, should deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties. 

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. 

The presidential directive was issued, being the outcome of the security meeting held on Sunday in Abuja with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun; and Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Adeola Ajayi. 

Already, President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers, even as the Federal Government is also collaborating with the states to upgrade police training facilities nationwide. 

According to the presidential directive, VIPs who want police protection will now request well-armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), not the Nigeria Police Force. 

The move signals a major shift in Nigeria’s long-standing VIP protection culture, in which thousands of police personnel were deployed to individuals rather than community policing duties. 

The presidency said the decision was informed by the acute shortage of police officers in many communities, particularly in rural and remote areas, leaving stations understaffed and residents vulnerable to rising insecurity. 

"In view of the current security challenges facing the nation, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities," the statement said.  

Sunday’s meeting forms part of the administration’s intensified security review, following recent rescue operations in Kwara and Niger states of abducted worshippers and students, and signals a push toward restructuring security deployment to prioritise public safety over personal protection for the elite. 

The directive is expected to take immediate effect as police authorities begin reassignment plans for affected officers.