Abuja – The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Thursday confirmed the withdrawal of 11,566 police personnel from Very Important Persons (VIP) security duties across the country.
He said the move is part of a strategic realignment aimed at strengthening frontline policing and ensuring the protection of vulnerable communities.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Egbetokun explained that the redeployment was not driven by sentiment but by the urgent need to channel manpower to areas where public safety demands are highest.
“In line with the President’s directive, we have withdrawn a total of 11,566 personnel from VIP protection. These officers are being redeployed to critical policing duties immediately,” he said.
The IGP said the redeployment would expand police presence in rural areas, townships, and high-traffic corridors, while enhancing intelligence-led operations and rapid response to emerging threats.
He also warned that the implementation would be carefully managed to prevent misinformation or exploitation by criminal elements. Detailed operational guidelines, he said, would be released soon.
Egbetokun highlighted recent security challenges, including abductions in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states, as reasons for the strategic shift.
“We may not be doing enough, but it is not that we are not working. As leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard,” he said.
He also listed notable operational successes achieved by the force in recent weeks, including the arrest of 8,202 suspects for various offences, the rescue of 232 kidnapped victims, and the recovery of 249 firearms, nearly 21,000 rounds of ammunition, and 238 vehicles.
With the festive season approaching, the IGP directed all state commands to implement enhanced patrols, highway visibility operations, and community-focused policing strategies, including the deployment of drones and AI-driven surveillance tools.
“The roads must be decisively dominated by proactive policing and preparedness,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu had on Sunday directed the withdrawal of police officers from VIP security duties and their reassignment to core policing functions, following a security meeting in Abuja with service chiefs and the DSS Director-General.
