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VIPs Panic as Police Authorities Executes Tinubu’s Order, Withdraw Personnel
Fear and uncertainty have gr gripped high-profile individuals across Nigeria following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs nationwide.
The directive, confirmed in a State House announcement, mandates that thousands of officers attached to politicians, business leaders, traditional rulers, clergy, and private individuals be recalled and redeployed to core policing duties. The police high command has already issued internal signals directing officers attached to VIPs to “return to base immediately.”
The policy has sparked widespread backlash. According to reports by Vanguard and Intelligence Region, several VIPs who spoke anonymously warned that the decision could endanger them in a country battling kidnappings, banditry, insurgency, and rising violent crime. One influential figure captured the growing anxiety bluntly, saying: “Asking Civil Defence to protect us is like engaging Boy Scouts. They don’t have the capacity, the training, or the weapons for high-threat protection.”
Security firms in Abuja and Lagos say they have recorded a sudden surge in requests for private bodyguards, escort vehicles, and armed protection. Some firms confirmed receiving over 40 inquiries within 24 hours, mostly from politicians and senior civil servants seeking immediate alternatives. Traditional rulers from insecurity-prone northern states are also lobbying for exemptions, citing frequent attacks on palaces and convoys.
Despite the uproar, senior government officials insist the directive is non-negotiable. According to presidency sources, the President is committed to reducing the number of police officers attached to individuals, arguing that Nigeria’s police strength, fewer than 400,000 officers for more than 220 million people, is overstretched. They say redirecting personnel to public safety will improve patrols and help communities currently left vulnerable while VIPs enjoy state-funded protection. A senior Villa official noted: “We cannot continue a system where the rich enjoy police protection while ordinary citizens face crime without patrols or emergency response.”
Meanwhile, concerns are rising about the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which is expected to take over VIP protection. Insiders within the Corps admit that logistics, funding, and deployment challenges persist, feeding elite skepticism and reinforcing perceptions that the NSCDC cannot match the response capacity of armed police escorts.
Within the police force, reactions to the directive are mixed. Some officers welcome the decision as a professional reform, while others warn that politically connected VIPs could attempt to secure exemptions or sabotage implementation. The Inspector-General of Police is expected to roll out a phased implementation plan this week. Judges and select high-risk government officials may receive temporary extensions, but most private VIPs will lose their armed escorts.
Security analysts predict intense lobbying and possible political resistance in the coming days. For now, the dominant mood among Nigeria’s elite is unmistakably tense. As one senior VIP remarked: “If anything happens to us, the government will be held responsible. You can’t remove escorts when the security situation is this bad.”
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