Tinubu Orders Nationwide Withdrawal Of Police From VIPs In Major Security Shake-Up

According to Ireporter Online, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers assigned to Very Important Persons nationwide, marking a significant restructuring of security deployment in the country.

A statement released on Sunday by Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga revealed that the directive was one of the key decisions reached during a high-level security briefing the President held with Service Chiefs in Abuja. The move, he said, is designed to return police personnel to their primary responsibilities and strengthen their presence in communities battling security threats.

Under the new policy, individuals requiring armed escorts must now route their requests through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which will take over the responsibility of providing such protection. Onanuga emphasized that, going forward, “VIPs who want police protection will now request well-armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.”

He noted that several remote communities have suffered from inadequate policing due to the large number of officers attached to private individuals. To close this gap, President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel and is collaborating with state governments to upgrade training facilities across the federation.

The Presidency stated that Tinubu remains committed to enhancing police visibility in all communities amid ongoing security challenges.

The security meeting was attended by senior officials, 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.