..directs Shettima to Take Charge of National Ranch Initiative
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday reaffirmed his earlier directive that police personnel attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) should be withdrawn and redeployed to core policing functions as part of a broader restructuring of national security operations, while also directing Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead a renewed effort to convert grazing reserves into organised ranches under a livestock reform programme.
The President made this known shortly before presiding over the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, where he expressed dissatisfaction with reports of slow compliance with the police withdrawal order, and insisted that the directive must be fully executed.
Tinubu said any official or security detail encountering difficulties with compliance should seek clarification from the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and obtain necessary approval from him. He stressed that the new security framework requires the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to take over VIP protection duties while police officers previously assigned to individuals must return to community policing, patrol responsibilities, and direct crime response duties.
He noted that Nigeria cannot afford a situation in which thousands of trained police personnel remain tied to personal protection duties at a time when communities are battling high levels of kidnapping and armed criminality.
The President explained that the nation faces significant security threats and that the government needs every available police officer deployed to the field. He said the fight against kidnapping, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas, requires increased manpower on patrol routes, in schools, and in vulnerable communities. He also directed that forest guards in states be properly armed and deployed effectively because criminals now operate deeply inside forest belts and farmlands.
Independent reports from security sources indicate that over eleven thousand officers have already been recalled from VIP duties in line with the Presidency’s directive and are now being reassigned to operational posts across the country.
Alongside the security directive, Tinubu announced that Shettima would immediately take charge of a national ranch development programme under the National Economic Council. The President explained that the initiative aims to identify and convert grazing reserves across the country into organised ranches or livestock settlements to reduce farmer-herder clashes and create a more stable livestock economy.
Tinubu said livestock reform must be deliberately structured to eliminate competition for land, reduce violent clashes, and provide economic opportunities for herders and farmers. He reminded the Council that land administration is under state governments and that governors must therefore determine which reserves can be made available for ranching. He urged the Vice President to work closely with governors to develop a comprehensive framework for modern livestock production based on sustainable land use, community participation, and economic viability. The President said he expects the ranch initiative to support broader rural development and to help Nigeria move away from nomadic grazing patterns that often result in encroachment on farmlands and conflict with local communities
Samuel Aina