Nigeria has begun withdrawing police officers assigned to politicians, business elites and private individuals after a new presidential directive instructed the Inspector General of Police to immediately scale back VIP security privileges and redeploy personnel to public law enforcement.
The move signals a significant shift in Nigeria’s long-criticised policing structure, where thousands of officers have historically been diverted to protect influential individuals instead of patrolling communities. The policy change has triggered celebration in some quarters and skepticism in others, as debates intensify over whether the reform will improve public safety or simply be ignored like past attempts.
Across major cities including Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna and Port Harcourt, officers attached to prominent figures began receiving withdrawal notifications early this week. Senior police sources told Punch NG that the directive is tied to the government’s push to reorganise policing resources amid rising nationwide insecurity.
President Bola Tinubu reportedly expressed concerns that too many law enforcement personnel had been absorbed into private protection duties while states continue to face waves of kidnapping, rural banditry, highway attacks and urban crime spikes. The new directive instructs the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Force to conduct an immediate audit of officers providing VIP protection, verify eligibility, and return non-essential personnel to operational units.
One senior official described the move as overdue. “It has been an open secret that our officers are overstretched. A large number were attending to individuals rather than the public. This new directive is meant to correct that imbalance,” the source told reporters.
