Police withdrawal: Tinubu must not waver

President Bola Tinubu. Photo: State House

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ON Wednesday, Nigerian senators discussed their personal security. As emotions ran high, senators expended energy on a presidential memo withdrawing police orderlies from VIPs. They alleged that the order left them unprotected. They are swimming against the tide.

As usual, the senators are selfish; they are just after their own interests. Millions of Nigerian citizens do not enjoy any police presence in their communities or on highways because of the officers illegally assigned to VIPs. It must change.

The agitation is a symptom of the skewed security system in Nigeria, a country where taxpayers are left at the mercy of criminals, terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and Fulani herdsmen.

This is why the self-entitled elite are pushing back against President Bola Tinubu’s directive in November to withdraw police officers illegally attached to VIPs.

On this, The PUNCH Editorial Board supports the President.

On Wednesday, the President insisted that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, must comply fully with the order. This is sensible. It takes care of the majority instead of a few self-indulgent VIPs.

Tinubu declared a state of emergency on insecurity in November, including the withdrawal of police officers illegally assigned to VIPs, enabling them “to concentrate on their core police duties”.

The declaration is a response to the escalating insecurity. In November, bandits kidnapped 490 citizens “in a two-week rampage” and the furore generated by American President Donald Trump’s labelling of the country as “Country of Particular Concern.”

Egbetokun said, “In line with the President’s directive, we have withdrawn a total of 11,566 from VIP protection. These officers are being redeployed to critical policing duties immediately.”

This is not enough.

In an X message on December 6, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police have deployed a Special Enforcement Team to ensure full implementation of the presidential directive, while reiterating “the Force’s commitment to the full implementation of the presidential directive.”

In this matter, the police are notorious for flouting presidential authority.

Indeed, Nigerians are disturbed that police officers are still protecting so many VIPs.

On November 27, a senator, Ali Ndume, said, “I thought today I would not see many police in the National Assembly, but there are still crowded police in the complex. So, I don’t know what the IG is talking about.”

So, the President must institute his compliance team to ensure strict and full compliance.

As records show, presidential and police leadership directives on withdrawal of police officers assigned to VIPs in the country have always been achieved in the breach, thus contributing to the escalating insecurity situation and the parlous security experience of the populace.

For instance, President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to withdraw police officers assigned to VIPs in 2015 was not implemented.

Mike Okiro said the Police Service Commission could not sustain the withdrawal of officers assigned to VIPs for lack of funds.

Even Egbetokun could not enforce the same order which he had given on assuming office in 2023 and later in 2025 when the security situation worsened.

This official laxity must therefore nudge Tinubu to design a sustainable compliance strategy or get the police to give him a guarantee that his directive would be implemented to the letter.

A recent report by the European Union Agency for Asylum said more than 100,000 officers of the estimated strength of 371,800 of the Nigeria Police Force are deployed to protect VIPs.

The withdrawal of 11,566 police officers is far from the mark. Tinubu must insist that the remaining officers be returned to their core duties.

While the approval of the recruitment of an additional 30,000 recruitment of police officers is commendable, there is a need to ensure the reform of the security organisation to fit into the escalating insecurity in the country.

The proposed reform should address the challenges the police are facing. The police cannot effectively perform their core duty under their current state.

Transparency International ranked the Force in 2019 as the most corrupt public institution in Nigeria, put its corruption profile at “astronomical levels,” and said it “has one of the highest prevalence of bribery in Africa.” The police rejected this.

VIPs should not enjoy police protection at public expense. VIPs in need of protection should hire guards from credible private guards, as is the practice in other climes.

Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi, hired Yassine Cheuko as his personal bodyguard, while Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo hired Claudion Miguel Vaz in April 2025.

In Nigeria, VIPs, entertainers and even criminals and fraudsters move about with a retinue of police officers.

Police protection for VIPs should be limited to public officials whose offices are legally recognised, particularly the President, the Vice-President, 36 governors, 36 deputy governors, magistrates, judges, and justices.

The Commander-in-Chief must request a progressive compliance report from the IG to ensure strict and full implementation of his directive for sustainable national peace and security.

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