In a fresh strategic move aimed at tackling pervasive security crisis in Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers from guarding Very Important Persons,
According to Spear News reports, the decision will see more than 70,000 personnel redeployed from private protection to core police duties.
The presidential directive, issued on Sunday following a high level security meeting in Abuja, fundamentally reshapes the nation’s security architecture by transferring VIP protection responsibilities to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps while freeing up a significant portion of the police force for frontline service.
According to a State House press release from Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons in the country. Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties.”
Civil Defence Corps to handle its new VIP protection mandate, and the political will to withstand inevitable pressure from influential figures accustomed to state provided police security.
President Tinubu’s decision to withdraw police from VIP duties is a bold step commended by security analysts. However, experts express serious doubts about its feasibility, noting that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, with fewer than 100,000 personnel, lacks the manpower and capacity to effectively assume these additional VIP protection responsibilities nationwide.
For millions of ordinary Nigerians living in fear of kidnappers and armed gangs, the redeployment of 70,000 officers from guarding elites to securing communities represents the most significant step toward tangible security improvement in recent memory.
