…says VIPs who require security escorts must now request armed protection from the NSCDC.
Abuja, Nigeria — The iNews Times, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers assigned to protect Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country, directing that the personnel be redeployed to strengthen core policing operations nationwide.
The directive, announced in a statement signed by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, follows a high-level security meeting Tinubu held on Sunday with service chiefs, including the heads of the Army, Air Force, Police, and the Department of State Services.
Under the new policy, VIPs who still require security escorts must now request armed protection from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) instead of the police.
The President’s decision comes amid widespread complaints that remote and vulnerable communities are severely understaffed, leaving millions without adequate police coverage. The government said Tinubu is determined to “boost police presence in all communities” as part of broader efforts to curb insecurity.
To support this shift, the President has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers, while federal and state authorities are collaborating to upgrade police training infrastructure nationwide.
Sunday’s security briefing was attended by 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 DSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
