By Deborah Nnamdi
President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate withdrawal of police personnel from VIP protection assignments, ordering that officers be redeployed to strengthen security across communities nationwide.
The directive was issued during a security meeting held with key service chiefs, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
The meeting followed a surge in abductions and other security threats across several parts of the country.
According to the President, the Nigeria Police Force must now focus strictly on its core responsibilities of maintaining law and order. Henceforth, VIPs requiring protection will obtain well-armed security personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the government noted that many remote communities currently suffer from inadequate police presence, limiting the capacity to protect lives and property.
Onanuga said President Tinubu is committed to boosting nationwide policing, adding that the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers has already been approved. He further disclosed that the federal government is partnering with state governments to upgrade police training facilities across the country.
