President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate withdrawal of all police officers assigned to VIPs across Nigeria, ordering their redeployment to core community policing duties.
The president issued the directive on Sunday during a high-level security meeting at the State House in Abuja. The meeting was attended by Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Chief of Army Staff Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Air Staff Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, confirmed the development in a statement issued after the meeting. According to him, Tinubu ordered that VIPs who need security protection must now request armed escorts from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), not the police.
The presidency said the move is part of a major push to strengthen community policing and address the shortage of officers in towns and remote areas.
“Many parts of Nigeria, especially remote areas, have few policemen at the stations, thus making the task of protecting and defending the people difficult,” the statement noted. Tinubu wants the police to “concentrate on their core duties” by returning officers to communities where they are most needed.
To support the new security strategy, Tinubu also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers nationwide. The federal government will work with state governments to upgrade police training facilities to prepare the new recruits.
The plan is expected to reduce the pressure on understaffed police formations and improve response time to security threats across the country.
Senior security chiefs at the meeting pledged full compliance with the presidential directive, which is expected to take effect immediately.