President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers assigned to provide security for Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country.
The directive, announced on Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, follows a high-level security meeting held at the State House in Abuja with the heads of the police, army, Air Force, and the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to the presidency, police personnel currently guarding VIPs will be redeployed to strengthen community policing and boost nationwide security operations.
Under the new policy, VIPs requiring armed escorts must now request operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), freeing the police to focus on core law-enforcement duties.
The president also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers and directed urgent upgrades of training facilities in collaboration with state governments.
Nigeria continues to face rising security challenges, particularly in remote communities where police presence remains sparse. The presidency says the new measure aims to reverse that trend.
Sunday’s meeting was attended by Chief of Army Staff Lt-Gen Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, and DSS Director-General Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
