The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing President Bola Tinubu’s directive on withdrawing police personnel from non-essential VIP security duties, while emphasizing that legally entitled government officials will continue to receive protection until further notice.
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In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today aired Tuesday, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) CSP Benjamin Hundeyin addressed public concerns and misconceptions surrounding the redeployment of over 11,000 officers previously attached to private individuals and high-profile figures.
Hundeyin said that the non-selective nature of the presidential order, dismissing rumors of financial influence or favoritism. “The directive is absolute, and the enforcement is too. It’s not about the highest bidder. It’s not about asking for more money. The instruction is to withdraw men from VIP protection, and that’s what we’ve done,” he stated firmly.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, had earlier announced the recall of 11,566 personnel last Thursday, marking a significant step toward refocusing resources on core policing functions. These officers are now undergoing retraining before redeployment to police divisions, the newly formed Special School Protection Squad, and military operations against terrorism and banditry.
While private VIP escorts have been curtailed, Hundeyin clarified that certain public officials are exempt under existing laws. “Pending clearer directives from the Presidency, those who are statutorily entitled to police protection will still have it. But for now, everyone else who is not a government functionary and not so entitled may have had theirs withdrawn,” he explained.
Citing examples without divulging a full list available as open-source information Hundeyin highlighted governors and judges as key beneficiaries. “I will not go into a list or details… But, for example, the governors are entitled. Judges are entitled to police protection.”
The FPRO also addressed longstanding issues of officers being assigned to domestic chores in private residences, noting that the IGP had initiated measures to curb this practice even prior to the presidential directive. To illustrate the scale of enforcement, Hundeyin revealed: “The IG ordered the AIG, SPU, to go to the Abuja airport and station his men there to arrest any police officer found escorting VIPs. He gave the same order to the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State. That’s how seriously we take this.”
Responding to a European Union (EU) report claiming nearly 100,000 officers were dedicated to politicians and influencers, Hundeyin contested the estimate, attributing it to differing scopes of assessment. “What they are talking about might actually be different from what we are talking about… The scope they are looking at is different from ours,” he said, insisting the verified figure stands at 11,000 withdrawn personnel.
President Tinubu’s directive stemmed from a high-level security meeting in Abuja last Sunday, attended by service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). The move aims to bolster frontline policing amid rising insecurity, including school safety and counter-insurgency efforts.
Hundeyin concluded on an optimistic note: “We’ll say it again: 11,000 officers attached to VIPs have been withdrawn. Government officials statutorily entitled to police protection will retain it until we receive clearer directives from the Presidency.”
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