Our Reporter, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country, directing that they be immediately redeployed to core policing functions.
The directive was issued on Sunday during a high-level security meeting the President held in Abuja with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs who require personal protection henceforth will have to request armed security personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), not the police.
The decision comes amid rising security challenges and inadequate police presence in many parts of the country, especially rural areas where stations often operate with very limited manpower.
Onanuga said President Tinubu is committed to strengthening community-level security, noting that the Federal Government has already approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers. He added that the government is also working with state governments to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.
Sunday’s security meeting 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 the Director-General of DSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
