President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the immediate withdrawal of police officers assigned to guard Very Important Persons (VIPs), ordering their redeployment to core policing duties nationwide.
According to Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the directive was issued during a high-level security meeting held on Sunday in Abuja with the service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). Under the new arrangement, VIPs requiring armed protection will now be expected to obtain such services from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The decision, according to the Presidency, is aimed at strengthening police presence in communities across the country, especially in remote areas where police manpower has remained insufficient and security challenges persist.
To further bolster the force, President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers, while the federal government is working with state governments to upgrade training facilities nationwide.
Those in attendance at the meeting included 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 Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
