Police team enforcing withdrawal of VIP escorts arrives in Anambra

The Police special enforcement team in Lagos over the weekend. Photo: X/Nigeria Police Force

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The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed that operatives of the Special Enforcement Team of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit, set up to implement the directive on the withdrawal of police personnel from VIP escort and guard duties, have arrived in the state.

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, made this known in a press statement issued on Monday.

Orutugu reaffirmed the command’s commitment to supporting the IGP’s reform efforts aimed at enhancing professionalism, discipline, and optimal deployment of police manpower nationwide.

According to him, the withdrawal of police officers will help strengthen public policing, improve response capacity, and ensure that more personnel are available for core policing duties across the state.

The statement read in part, “The Anambra State Police Command today, December 8, 2025, formally received operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit deployed to the state to ensure full implementation of the IGP’s directive on the withdrawal of police personnel from VIP escort and guard duties.

“We reaffirm the Command’s commitment to supporting the IGP’s reform efforts targeted at enhancing professionalism, discipline, and optimal deployment of police manpower nationwide.

“The withdrawal of these officers will help strengthen public policing, improve response capacity, and ensure that more personnel are available for core policing duties across the state.

“We assured the monitoring unit operatives of the Command’s full cooperation throughout the exercise. All Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and Heads of Tactical Units have been directed to provide necessary support for a seamless and transparent enforcement process.”

The Anambra State Police Command urged all individuals, organisations, and VIPs affected by the directive to comply fully, noting that the exercise is part of nationwide efforts to reform police operations and improve national security.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the Nigeria Police Force deployed a Special Enforcement Team to ensure full compliance with President Bola Tinubu’s directive prohibiting the use of police personnel for VIP escort and guard duties.

In a statement released on Saturday via the Force’s X handle, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the team commenced a statewide monitoring operation in Lagos on December 6, 2025, beginning at about 10:00 a.m.

He disclosed that the exercise covered key locations, including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and other strategic points across the state.

Hundeyin noted that the monitoring revealed “satisfactory and commendable” adherence to the presidential order, stating that no cases of unaut

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