In a dramatic policy shift aimed at addressing the escalating mass abduction crisis and severe policing deficit, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of an estimated 100,000 police officers currently attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country.
The directive, issued after a high-level security meeting on Sunday, mandates that the personnel be redeployed immediately to core policing duties, focusing on community safety, crime prevention, and counter-insurgency operations in vulnerable and underserved communities.
The Presidency confirmed that this move is a direct response to the long-standing problem of police manpower being overwhelmingly diverted to private protection, leaving rural and remote areas with skeletal security coverage.
Official Statement: The directive is intended to “boost police presence in all communities” and ensure that officers “concentrate on their core police duties” in view of the current security challenges facing the country.
Under the new arrangement, police authorities will cease providing personal security details. VIPs who still require armed escorts will be mandated to request and obtain personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
This withdrawal is coupled with a major push to reinforce the NPF’s ranks. President Tinubu announced the approval of the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers, one of the largest single expansion drives in years. The government also pledged collaboration with state governments to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.
The policy reversal comes amid mounting national outrage following the recent mass abduction of hundreds of students in Niger State and the separate kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State, highlighting the urgent need for more police visibility and responsiveness across the federation.
