President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons across the country as part of a new security approach.
This directive was contained in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, issued on Sunday.
According to the release, the President directed that police officers currently guarding VIPs return to core policing duties. VIPs who require protection will now make such requests to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The statement noted that many communities, especially those in remote areas, lack adequate police presence, a challenge the presidency wants to address.
Onanuga quoted the President as saying that Nigeria cannot afford a system where “police officers stay away from the people who need them the most.”
He added that the President believes the country must “strengthen policing at the grassroots to respond better to security threats.”
The directive was announced after a meeting the President held with service chiefs in Abuja. Those in attendance included the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General 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 Department of State Services, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
The statement further revealed that President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of thirty thousand new police officers to boost the workforce.
The government is also collaborating with state authorities to upgrade training facilities in different parts of the country. Onanuga added that the President wants a police force that is “visible, active and present in every community.”
The presidency described the new measure as a necessary step toward improving national security and restoring public confidence in law enforcement.
