The Presidency has called on Nigerians to actively monitor and report any breaches of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police escorts from private individuals and VIPs. The appeal was made by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Daniel Bwala, during a TVC interview on Sunday.
Bwala explained that public involvement is crucial to ensure the policy is enforced effectively, allowing police personnel to focus on core security responsibilities rather than providing personal protection to those no longer entitled. He encouraged citizens to document any instances where officers are seen accompanying individuals in defiance of the presidential order, using photographs or videos as evidence.
Read also:
- Tinubu’s Security Overhaul Amid Increased Terrorism – An exclusive deep dive
- Baba-Ahmed urges President Tinubu to step aside in 2027, back younger candidate
- Presidential order to recall VIP Police Escorts: How strained Nigeria’s security has become?
Clarifying the scope of the directive, Bwala noted that it does not remove protection for all VIPs. Certain government officials whose roles are deemed sensitive will continue to receive security support, but police personnel will no longer be the default providers. Other agencies, including the State Security Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, may assume protection duties where necessary.
“The order of the president to withdraw police from VIPs is not all-encompassing. There are critical people in government who will still have one form of security or another,” Bwala said. He stressed that the measure is part of a broader government effort to optimise the deployment of security assets, prevent misuse of police manpower, and strengthen public safety.
The federal government has recently intensified reforms across security institutions, arguing that officers previously assigned to VIP protection are better deployed to frontline policing to address pressing security challenges across the nation.
