President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate withdrawal of about 100,000 police officers attached to politicians and other Very Important Persons, directing that they be redeployed to core policing duties, including counter-insurgency operations across the country.
The directive was issued during a high-level security meeting held on Sunday in Abuja, attended by Service Chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs who still require personal protection will now be assigned armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, freeing up police personnel to focus on their primary responsibilities.
Recall that concerns have continued to grow over the disproportionate number of police officers serving as personal orderlies for politicians, businessmen, and politically exposed individuals—leaving too few for crime prevention and public safety. Estimates indicate that nearly 100,000 officers, a significant chunk of the force, are deployed for VIP protection rather than national policing.
The European Union Agency for Asylum, in a 2025 report, placed Nigeria’s police strength at 371,800 officers for a population of about 236.7 million. The report noted that the country’s chronic policing gaps are worsened by the diversion of thousands of officers to private protection duties.
