President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of about 100,000 police officers currently assigned to Very Important Persons and politically exposed individuals, ordering that they be redeployed to core policing and counter-insurgency duties as part of a renewed push to curb the surge in kidnappings nationwide.
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 (DSS). In a statement, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said that henceforth VIP protection will be handled by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, freeing up police personnel for frontline operations.
Attempts by previous Inspectors-General to reduce VIP escort deployment have largely failed, leaving an estimated 100,000 officers attached to individuals rather than communities. This imbalance has contributed to widespread complaints of inadequate police presence across the country.
A November 2025 report by the European Union Agency for Asylum estimates the current police strength at around 371,800 officers serving a population of about 236.7 million. The report highlighted that policing deficits are worsened by the diversion of officers to VIP tasks instead of community policing and crime prevention, leaving many remote areas severely understaffed.
Onanuga said the President is determined to reverse these trends.
“President Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons. Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core duties. In view of the current security challenges, the President is committed to boosting police presence in all communities,” he said.
He added that the President has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel and is working with state governments to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.
Those present at Sunday’s briefing included Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun; and DSS Director-General Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters said it is reviewing the redeployment of troops after reports that soldiers guarding St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, left the premises shortly before dozens of schoolgirls were abducted in a recent attack.
