Tinubu reaffirms withdrawal of police from VIPs

President Bola Tinubu directed the Minister for Interior to work with the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to replace the affected police personnel with NSCDC officers.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reiterated his order that police officers currently attached to prominent individuals be withdrawn and redeployed to areas ravaged by insecurity.

“I honestly believe in what I said, and I call on the IG. I hope the Minister for Police Affairs is here. So if you have any problem of security because of the nature of your assignment, please contact the IGP and get my clearance,” he stated during the Federal Executive Council Meeting on Wednesday.

Addressing concerns raised over the security implications of the withdrawal, Tinubu directed the Minister for Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to work with the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to replace the affected police personnel with NSCDC officers.

“The Minister for Interior should liaise with the IGP and the civil defence structure to replace those police officers who are on special security duties so that you don’t leave people exposed.

“NSA and DSS to provide further information and form themselves into a committee and review the structure,” he stated.

The President maintained that Nigeria could not afford to leave volatile areas without essential security manpower.

“It [withdrawal order] should be affected. We face challenges here and there of kidnapping and terrorism.

“We need all the forces that we can utilise. I know some of our people are exposed. I understand that we have to make exceptional provision for them, and then civil defence [personnel] are equally armed,” he added.

On November 24, Tinubu, during a security meeting with service chiefs, the IGP and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, ordered the withdrawal of police personnel from VIP security duties.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons in the country.

“Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties,” a statement by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, partly read.

Three days later, the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, said that 11,566 police personnel had been recalled following the presidential directive.

Egbetokun, who disclosed this during the strategic officers conference, also said that the redeployment of the affected personnel to underserved communities had since commenced.