Why Tinubu Ordered The Withdrawal Of VIP Police Guards

President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) nationwide, instructing that these officers be reassigned to essential policing responsibilities.

The order followed a security meeting the President held on Sunday in Abuja with the service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.

According to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs who require security will now receive protection from armed personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps rather than the police.

“Many parts of Nigeria, especially remote areas, have few policemen at the stations, thus making the task of protecting and defending the people difficult.

“In view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities,” the statement read.

Onanuga further revealed that the President has approved the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers and that the Federal Government is collaborating with states to modernize police training facilities across the country.

Sunday’s meeting was attended by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.

List Of VIP’s With Police Guards

There is no single public “official” list of every VIP who has police guards in Nigeria.

Broad categories such as “politicians, businessmen and other VIPs” are repeatedly named by EU and Nigerian reports as the main beneficiaries of police details.

The IGP’s own escort and related expenses,
governors, ex-governors, ministers and business moguls.

Why VIP Police Guards Were Withdrawn

This decision to withdraw police escorts from VIPs comes amid persistent concerns that Nigeria’s police force is overstretched, with reports indicating that more than 100,000 officers are deployed to politicians, business figures, and other VIPs instead of serving in core policing roles.

It also forms part of a broader strategy to clamp down on terrorist activities and restore security across the country.

Although multiple Inspectors-General of Police have repeatedly pledged to end the widespread use of officers as orderlies, the implementation has never materialised.

A report published in November 2025 by the European Union Agency for Asylum highlighted that the Nigeria Police Force has an estimated 371,800 officers serving a population of roughly 236.7 million people.

The report noted that the nation’s policing challenges are compounded by the heavy deployment of officers to VIP protection rather than frontline community policing and crime prevention.

It stated, “Both recent sources and sources dating back as far as 2007 claimed that the NPF had an estimated strength of 371,800, serving a total population estimated in 2024 at 236,747,130. Many parts of Nigeria, especially remote areas, have few policemen at the stations, thus making the task of protecting and defending the people difficult.’’

What Does The Law Say About VIP Police Guards

The Nigeria Police Act outlines the core responsibilities of the police: preventing and detecting crime, maintaining law and order, protecting life and property, and enforcing laws. These duties are designed for public service, not private protection. The Act contains no provision that authorises police officers to function as personal bodyguards for private individuals.

While certain public officials and diplomatic personnel receive protection under formal state security protocols, this falls under official government functions, not private security arrangements. Legal analysts consistently emphasise that diverting frontline police officers into VIP escort roles undermines general policing capacity and strains public safety efforts.

In practice, police officers are not legally empowered to serve as private bodyguards, and the use of state-funded officers for personal protection has repeatedly attracted criticism as well as calls for reform. As one legal commentary explains:

“In the first place, nowhere in the Constitution or the new Police Act (or even under the old one) is the IG, or any other official, empowered to deploy armed policemen to escort or guard specific private individuals or premises on a 24/7 basis as is currently the case.

Rather, the Act, along with the constitution speaks of the duty of the police to protect lives and property generally, enforce the law and apprehend criminals. Indeed, the only reference the Act makes to protecting specific property is when it makes provision for the IG to deploy unarmed supernumerary (auxiliary) officers at the request of the individuals owning such property.