Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun on Thursday defended the sweeping withdrawal of police personnel from Very Important Persons’ (VIP) security duties, describing it as a strategic reshaping of national security priorities.
Addressing journalists after a meeting with senior police commanders in Abuja, the IGP said the presidential directive issued by President Bola Tinubu earlier in the week was designed to strengthen frontline policing and redirect security resources to communities where threats to public safety are most pronounced.
He stressed that the decision was not influenced by sentiment or politics, but by the urgent need to reorient the police toward its foundational mandate: protecting citizens and maintaining public order.
Egbetokun disclosed that 11,566 police officers had so far been withdrawn from VIP protection roles and immediately redeployed to more critical operational duties. According to him, concentrating a large number of officers on personal protection for political elites, business moguls, and other influential individuals had gradually eroded the police force’s visibility and effectiveness in towns and rural communities.
“In line with the President’s directive, we have withdrawn a total of 11,566 personnel from VIP protection. These officers are being redeployed to critical policing duties immediately,” he said, adding that the reform would enhance policing presence where Nigerians need it most.
The IGP outlined that the redeployment would bolster manpower for rural and township security, expand large-scale population protection, and boost patrols and intelligence-led operations nationwide. He said the restructuring was ultimately about reclaiming the police’s original responsibility, noting, “The withdrawal is not a retreat from responsibility, but a reclamation of it.”
To avoid confusion, he revealed that detailed guidelines would soon be issued to prevent misinformation or any attempt by criminals to impersonate withdrawn officers. The transition, he assured, would be closely managed to protect both the public and the affected personnel.
Egbetokun warned that recent security incidents in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states, including abductions and violent disruptions, had underscored the urgency of repositioning the force. While commending security agencies for their swift responses, he acknowledged that the incidents created an impression in some quarters that the police were falling short.
“We may not be doing enough, but it is not that we are not working,” he said. “But as leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard.” He added that the VIP security overhaul was part of a broader effort to increase police visibility, deterrence, and responsiveness across the country.
The IGP highlighted significant operational achievements recorded by the force in recent weeks. He reported the arrest of 8,202 suspects for various offences and the rescue of 232 kidnapped victims, figures he said reflected the momentum gained from intelligence-driven policing.
He further listed arrests that cut across serious crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, unlawful possession of firearms, rape, and cultism. In total, 451 armed robbery suspects, 356 kidnapping suspects, 534 murder suspects, and 312 suspected rapists were arrested, alongside over 6,000 others linked to major offences.
According to Egbetokun, the police also recovered 249 firearms, nearly 21,000 rounds of ammunition, and 238 vehicles, evidence he said demonstrated growing success in dismantling criminal networks. He attributed these gains to stronger intelligence frameworks, deeper community engagement, and improved inter-agency cooperation, noting that the force was gradually outmanoeuvring criminals who had exploited gaps in the security system.
With the festive season approaching typically the period with the highest travel volume across Nigerian highways—the IGP announced a nationwide security escalation. He directed all state commands to activate enhanced patrols, visibility operations, and community-focused policing strategies.
These include expanded highway patrol teams, reinforced foot patrols at motor parks, intelligence-backed vehicular patrols along rural routes, and joint operations with sister agencies to secure major travel corridors.
Egbetokun said technology would play a key role in the holiday security plan. Commands were instructed to deploy drones and AI-driven surveillance tools to monitor high-risk locations, track movement patterns, and identify emerging threats in real time.
He emphasised that every command must record operational hours, presence metrics, and patrol performance as part of the December deployment monitoring system. “The roads must be decisively dominated by proactive policing and preparedness,” he warned.
The presidential directive that triggered the VIP withdrawal followed a high-level security meeting chaired by President Tinubu, alongside service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
The government had argued that Nigeria’s security architecture required urgent rebalancing, particularly given the surge in kidnappings, highway robberies, and rural banditry. The withdrawal of VIP security, officials said, was a necessary shift from elite-focused protection to people-centred policing.