Tinubu Orders Withdrawal of Police Guards from VIPs

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons across the country, directing that the personnel be reassigned to core policing duties to boost national security coverage.

The directive was issued during a high-level security meeting held on Sunday in Abuja, attended by service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, where the president emphasized the urgent need to strengthen policing at community levels.

In a statement released after the meeting, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that VIPs requiring protection will now be assigned armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead of police officers.

Onanuga noted that the new security approach aims to address the chronic shortage of police personnel across the country, particularly in rural and underserved areas where stations often operate with limited manpower, making it difficult to effectively protect citizens.

He added that President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers, with the Federal Government working closely with state governments to upgrade training institutions, facilities, and equipment to improve the overall capacity of the Nigeria Police Force.

“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 read.

“In view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities,” it added.

The meeting was attended by top security chiefs, including 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 the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi. The decision comes amid growing concerns that over 100,000 police officers are assigned to politicians, business executives, and other VIPs, leaving the police force overstretched and undermanned for frontline security duties.