President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country, directing that they be redeployed to strengthen community policing and frontline security operations.
The directive was announced on Sunday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following a high-level security meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Onanuga, the move is intended to address the chronic shortage of police personnel in many parts of the country—particularly rural and remote communities—where inadequate manpower has hindered efforts to protect lives and property.
Under the new arrangement, VIPs seeking personal protection will now be required to request well-armed security personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), rather than relying on the Nigeria Police Force.
Onanuga noted that President Tinubu is determined to boost police visibility nationwide in response to escalating security concerns. As part of this effort, the President has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers.
He added that the Federal Government is collaborating with state governments to upgrade and expand police training facilities across Nigeria to support the recruitment drive.
Sunday’s security meeting was attended by top military and intelligence chiefs, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General 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.
Further details on the implementation timeline for the withdrawal directive are expected in the coming days.
