Is withdrawal of Police from VIPs protection duties panacea for Nigeria rising Insecurity?
One must commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the decision he took on Sunday, November 26, 2025 ordering the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun to redeploy all Police personnel on protection duties attached to Very Important Persons (VIP) to core Police duties.
The commendation is not for his courage but for the simple realisation that the greater part of the country Insecurity arise because the police has left its core duty unattended to and drifted to duties that are far unrelated with its name Nigeria Police.
Inspector General of Police ( IGP) Kayode Egbetokun said on Thursday while announcing how far he had gone implementing the President directive that withdrawing police personnel from Very Important Persons (VIPs) is a strategic realignment aimed at strengthening frontline policing and protecting vulnerable communities across the country.
He also acknowledged the fact that the decision to recall officers from VIP security duties was not driven by sentiment but by the urgent need to channel manpower to areas where public safety demands are highest.
For a nation that strives toward self sufficiency in feeding her large population since early 1970s without break through, to begin to witness situations where it’s arable land and farming communities are forcefully seized and her citizens abducted by terrorists and intruders. demonstrates the level enemies of the country want us to be driven into.
The core mandate of the Nigeria Police Force, is the protection of citizens, communities, and public order.
Many police officers assigned to VIPs resulted in a significant reduction of personnel available for general policing duties, especially in vulnerable and underserved communities.
Perhaps one should ask where has public order collapsed in Nigeria in recent years , other than vulnerable communities that are being sacked ? and taxed by bandits and terrorists.
While atrocities such as kidnapped for ransom , rape, killings , violence extremist campaigns ranges on in several communities for years and some places for decades, the Nigeria Police choose to protect the very rich and very Important Persons.
Egbetokun heave a sigh of relief that the withdrawal enable the police to expand manpower deployment for rural and township security, large-scale population protection, intensified patrols, intelligence-led operations, and rapid response to emerging threats.
But, the nation was shocked on Thursday when IGP Egbetokun said the Police Force has withdrawn 11,566 Police personnel on VIPs protection duties and redeploy them to communities for core Police duties.. Surprise because with the magnitude of problems before US the number is insignificant.
Even with the approved 20,000 recruit likely to join the force next year, the country should train and encourage vigilantes groups to beef up security in the communities, quarters ,villages , schools, colleges and support their guards.
Alternatively , the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) should be further amended, urgently to allow the 36 states to establish their own state police force.
TRAINING
Needless to state that all those withdrawn from VIP protection duties should have a reorientation training, especially about community policing, intelligence gathering, and what they should do with the intelligence they obtain on a daily basis.
The assignment is different and far from VIP protection. Senior Police Commanders also need to be reoriented in their roles in implementing this directive. It is crucial the nation guide against pothole that made previous attempts to withdraw Police men from VIP protection failed in five woeful attempts.
The
Nigerian public and foreigners are of the opinion that the best way to engage policemen in Nigeria for internal security involves repositioning the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) as the primary internal security agency through strategic reforms, adequate training, proper equipment, and motivation.
The objective should encourage police officers to shift focus from predominantly VIP protection duties to intelligence-driven, proactive community policing, supported by investment in technology and human resource development.
Training and improving security through community policing will definitely build trust because as police gather actionable intelligence, and proactively disrupt criminal networks, the scene of belongings begins to return.
We observed during a recent tour of OPERATION HADIN KAI activities in the frontline and it’s adjoining communities in Borno State, for instance , that absence of the presence of Police in the communities left them with impressions that they are not wanted in the country.
PROMOTING INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATION
A security expert, Major Bonny Nwajie, rtd. said that inter-agency collaboration is essential for the police to achieve any meaningful positive impact on counter-insurgency. All other security agencies should, as a matter of urgency, collaborate with the police to promote inter-agency collaboration and communication to prevent turf wars and ensure seamless operations.
He also noted that at the stage the country found itself, state governments should be encouraged to invest in grassroots intelligence and law enforcement, with consideration of state policing under strict safeguards.
Nigeria had had five unsuccessful separate attempts at withdrawing Policemen from VIP protection duties in the past ten years .
According to records, in August 2015, the late President Muhammadu Buhari, through the then-IGP Sunday Arase, directed a reduction in the number of policemen attached to VIPs.
Three years after in March 2018: the then Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris ordered the withdrawal of all police officers from VIP security details to address security challenges and improve policing efficiency.
Just two years after in October 2020: IGP Mohammed Adamu issued a similar directive for the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs, two days after the climax of the #EndSARS protests.
A year after May/June 2021: his successor IGP Baba Alkali Usman ordered the “immediate withdrawal of officers attached to private citizens”, following an earlier order in May for withdrawals from southeastern states and Rivers state due to security concerns.
In June 2023: The current IGP, Olukayode Egbetokun, announced the withdrawal of Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel from VIP escort and guard duties to restore the unit’s core function as a rapid response force.
November 2025: President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs across the country to reassign them to core policing duties and community policing efforts. Under this directive, VIPs requiring security are expected to use personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) instead of the police.
One major obstacle that undermined the five previous attempts was the Police resources that had long been disproportionately devoted to VIP protection, which created vested interests and a “racket” within the police hierarchy that resisted such changes.
Now that VIPs are expected to use personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and allow police to concentrate on its core duties.Will they ever be obeyed? Time will tell.
