EXCLUSIVE: IGP Egbetokun Didn’t Demobilise Presidential Escort, Officers Lodged In Lagos Hotels Near Tinubu's Residence

According to a police memo sighted by SaharaReporters, the IGP approved the redeployment of officers attached to the Presidential Escort, State House, Abuja, with immediate posting to various state commands across the country—not their demobilisation.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has not demobilised officers attached to MOPOL 24, Police Mobile Force (PMF) Presidential Escort, State House, Abuja, contrary to earlier reports, sources have told SaharaReporters.

According to a police memo sighted by SaharaReporters, the IGP approved the redeployment of officers attached to the Presidential Escort, State House, Abuja, with immediate posting to various state commands across the country—not their demobilisation.

A police signal dated December 16, 2025, referenced CH:5660/WEL/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.96, and issued from the Department of Finance and Administration (Welfare), Force Headquarters, Abuja, directed senior police formations to effect the movement of affected personnel without delay.

The signal, addressed to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing PMF and zonal commands, as well as Commissioners of Police nationwide, confirmed that the demobilisation affects officers previously deployed to provide close protection at the Presidential Villa.

According to the directive, the officers should return from Abuja to their respective commands, including Adamawa, Kebbi, Kaduna and others.

However, sources told SaharaReporters on Monday the Presidential unit of the police known as MOPOL 24 has not been touched as reported.

“The team is currently in Lagos with operatives deployed to Lagos lodged in hotels around President Tinubu’s residence,” a top police source told SaharaReporters.

“The team is attached to the Presidential Villa but relocated to Lagos to provide security, particularly road security.”

President Bola Tinubu recently travelled to Lagos as part of a three‑state holiday trip, where he is spending the Christmas and New Year break after official visits to Borno and Bauchi.

Before his trip to Lagos, Tinubu inaugurated projects by Governor Babagana Zulum and the Federal Government and attended the wedding of Sadeeq Sheriff, son of former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff in Borno State.

He also went to Bauchi State where he paid a condolence visit to the government and family of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the late Muslim cleric and Tijjaniyya Brotherhood leader who died on November 27, 2025.

Lagos serves as Tinubu’s end‑of‑year retreat, where he is expected to stay through the festive season.

“However, upon arrival in Lagos, Tinubu opted to take a helicopter ride to his home to avoid criticism that he is shutting down Lagos during Yuletide season,” one of the sources said.

According to sources, the police memo reported by SaharaReporters was deliberately planted in the media by the Inspector-General of Police to create the impression that police security attached to President Tinubu had been withdrawn as part of the VIP police withdrawal order.

The Presidential Directive

On November 23, 2025, during a high-level security meeting with service chiefs, President Tinubu directed that police officers attached to VIPs be withdrawn and redeployed to core policing duties.

The rationale was clear. Nigeria faces escalating insecurity, including mass kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger states, and the police force is overstretched. Meanwhile, thousands of officers are assigned to politicians, businessmen, and celebrities, leaving ordinary citizens vulnerable and leading to many ungoverned spaces.

Tinubu emphasised that VIPs who still require protection should seek personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) instead. To strengthen the police, he also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional officers.

Reactions and Resistance

While many Nigerians welcomed the move as pragmatic, seeing it as a way to redirect manpower to fight crime, the directive has met stiff resistance from parts of the political elite.

For instance, some senators have expressed reservations about the presidential directive.

They argued that without police escorts, they might be unable to safely visit their constituencies, given the worsening insecurity. Senate President Godswill Akpabio also voiced these concerns during Tinubu’s presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

This directive is not unprecedented; previous administrations made similar attempts at withdrawals, but enforcement was ineffective.