FG must stop police protection for VIPs – Usman
…says elite misuse of security resources undermining national security
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU), Hadiza Bala Usman, has called for an end to the widespread abuse of police protection by Very Important Persons (VIPs), warning that elite misuse of security resources is undermining Nigeria’s national security.
Speaking at the Mid-term Tenure/2025 Sectorial Performance Retreat of the Ministry of Interior and its agencies held in Abuja, Usman stressed the urgent need to amend existing laws to allow private security firms take over VIP protection duties.
According to her, this would free overstretched police personnel to focus on their constitutional role of safeguarding national security.
“We must free our security agencies to do what they need to do. So that Act needs to be amended, I’ve put it among the deliverables that we need to track, because VIP protection is a lot of garment of security deployment that really should not be done by our security personnel. We must free them for them to do national security as required.” She said
The presidential aide said she had personally observed trained police anti-terrorism squads being diverted to guard VIPs in Lagos neighborhoods, describing the practice as “wrong, completely.”
She insisted that any individual who feels too important to move without heavy protection should hire certified private guards rather than use state security.
“If the person in Nkohi feels he needs to be protected, go and pay. Go and pay and hire someone from a security company that has been certified, that has the necessary documentation to protect you. That’s it,” Usman said.
She expressed concern over the current ratio of police officers available for real field duties compared to the number tied down in VIP protection, describing the figures as “quite worrisome.”
According to her, restructuring VIP security would not only ease pressure on the police but also create jobs for retired officers through licensed private security outfits.
“It will also generate employment. We have so many retired policemen, retired AIGs, IGs, CPs. Do we mop them up into a structured private security institution that will enable us to provide that support that is needed? Because our security personnel are stretched, very stretched,” she explained.
Beyond security concerns, Usman used the retreat to push for reforms in citizen services handled by the Interior Ministry, particularly data harmonization, faster processing of passports and visas, and efficiency in NIN verification.
She said these were the kind of “citizen pain points” that Nigerians feel directly and which the Tinubu administration must address.
“One of the things that we need to have as legacies is things that citizens will feel to say, oh, while our president was the president, our passports were issued in two days. Those are the testimonials we want. Let citizens feel it,” she noted.
She also narrated personal and public frustrations with delays in NIN verification, describing them as damaging to citizens’ confidence in government services.
“Sometimes government keeps doing whatever it’s doing without realising that the end result is for you to have citizens appreciate what you’re doing,” she cautioned.
On correctional services, Usman urged the ministry to intensify collaboration with the judiciary and state governments to decongest prisons, particularly by addressing the large population of inmates awaiting trial.
She argued that effective justice delivery was central to the success of correctional reforms.
Commending the Interior Ministry for progress recorded so far, she challenged its leadership to embrace bold reforms that would leave enduring legacies.
“This regime does not shy away from bold reforms, and our president is fully in support of providing the necessary funding and support to fundamentally reform this sector,” she said.
