70,000 Out of 100,000 Policemen to Return to Frontlines as Tinubu Strips VIPs of Police Protection, NSCDC to Take Charge

Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja

In a fresh strategic move aimed at tackling pervasive security crisis in Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers from guarding Very Important Persons,

Spear News reports that the decision will see more than 70,000 personnel redeployed from private protection to core police duties.

The presidential directive, issued on Sunday following a high level security meeting in Abuja, fundamentally reshapes the nation’s security architecture by transferring VIP protection responsibilities to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps while freeing up a significant portion of the police force for frontline service.

According to a State House press release from Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons in the country. Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties.”

The statement elaborated that VIPs requiring state-provided security will now need to “request well-armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,” marking a decisive end to the long-standing practice of using police officers as personal security guards for the political and business elite.

This radical policy shift comes against the backdrop of alarming findings recently published by the European Union Agency for Asylum, which revealed that more than 100,000 officers of the Nigeria Police Force are currently deployed to protect politicians and other VIPs.

The report, published in November 2025, highlighted how this practice has created critical security gaps for ordinary citizens. With an estimated police strength of 371,800 officers serving a population of about 236.7 million people, the diversion of such a substantial force to elite protection has left many communities, particularly in remote areas, dangerously exposed.

“The resulting shortage in police personnel was compounded by the fact that more than 100,000 police officers were assigned to the protection of politicians and VIPs, rather than to tasks serving the general population,” the EU agency stated, noting that this shortage has resulted in “delayed responses to crimes and numerous communities being left without protection.”

The presidential directive directly addresses these chronic policing deficits. The State House release acknowledged that “many parts of Nigeria, especially remote areas, have few policemen at the stations, thus making the task of protecting and defending the people difficult.” It further stated that “in view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities.”

Adams Nekome, a security analyst told Spear News that the estimate of over 100,000 officers currently on VIP duties, approximately 70,000 will be immediately available for redeployment to police stations and operational duties across the nation’s conflict zones and under policed communities.

This is not the first attempt to reform VIP police deployments. In June 2023, shortly after assuming office, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun ordered the withdrawal of Police Mobile Force operatives from VIP duties, stating the tactical unit would be reserved strictly for strategic national operations.

He issued a similar directive in April 2025, ordering a nationwide withdrawal of mobile police officers attached to VIPs. However, these previous efforts saw limited implementation, with the EU report indicating that a significant portion of police manpower continued to be used for VIP protection.

President Tinubu’s direct intervention, therefore, has become a more comprehensive and authoritative approach to solving this persistent problem.

The policy has been welcomed by reform advocates who have long argued that the system was unsustainable.

Adamu Garbar, a chieftain of the ruling APC and critic of the Tinubu administration has described the move as a welcome idea.

Reacting to the President’s directive, Garbar said: “The move by the President to remove police officers from VIP protection to focus on core role of policing the country is an excellent step in the right direction. The truth of the matter is, police are more experienced in the provision of internal security services of every country.

“However, the police were relegated into stop and search and ViP protection. Most of them are left either underutilized or vulnerable. This is the time to strengthen the policing system in the country.

“If we had paid attention to the police and the DSS to handle our internal security issues, perhaps most of the civil and organized crime groups would have been neutralized before the got into the level we are today.

“Even though it’s looking too late, but then, the DSS has been one of the most prominent and efficient and effective institution in the provision of advanced intelligence for most of our security challenges, but they needed actors to act, with not much success. If the police and the DSS can effectively collaborate, the would jointly handle the first and second level escalation to tame the situation of security in the country.

“The military would then step in and handle the third level escalation upon major incidents,” he added.

Meanwhile, former Senator Shehu Sani has described the Federal Government’s plan to withdraw police officers from VIP protection duties as “a good idea and good policy statement in view of the nation’s urgent security needs.” However, he expressed skepticism about its implementation, warning that “it will only begin and end up as a statement.” The reaction comes following President Tinubu’s directive for police to return to core duties, with VIP protection to be handled by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

In August, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, Hadiza Bala-Usman, had publicly called for an end to the deployment of policemen as personal guards to VIPs.

“One of the most disturbing things for me is when VIPs arrive somewhere with so many policemen trailing them, while the areas that actually need security are left unattended,” she said at the time.

“We cannot continue to deploy police trained for anti-terrorism operations just to guard individuals in Ikoyi. That is completely wrong.” She argued that “we must free our policemen to do national security as required. Whoever feels too important and wants machine gun-wielding personnel protecting him should go and hire a private security company with the necessary documentation, not take our mobile policemen.”

The presidential announcement also included plans for substantial police force expansion, revealing that “President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers” and that “the federal government is also collaborating with the states to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.” This combination of immediate redeployment and long-term recruitment aims to create a critical mass of police presence in communities that have historically been neglected.

As implementation begins, the success of this policy will depend on effective coordination between the Nigeria Police Force and the NSCDC, adequate funding and training for the Civil Defence Corps to handle its new VIP protection mandate, and the political will to withstand inevitable pressure from influential figures accustomed to state provided police security.

President Tinubu’s decision to withdraw police from VIP duties is a bold step commended by security analysts. However, experts express serious doubts about its feasibility, noting that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, with fewer than 100,000 personnel, lacks the manpower and capacity to effectively assume these additional VIP protection responsibilities nationwide.

For millions of ordinary Nigerians living in fear of kidnappers and armed gangs, the redeployment of 70,000 officers from guarding elites to securing communities represents the most significant step toward tangible security improvement in recent memory.