JUST IN: Tinubu Orders Withdrawal of Police Guards From VIPs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of police officers assigned to provide security for VIPs, ordering that they return to regular policing duties across the country. The directive was announced on Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, following a high-level security meeting in Abuja involving the heads of the police, army, air force and the Department of State Services.

According to the statement, individuals requiring official protection will now be expected to request armed security personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The move follows concerns that many communities, especially in remote regions, lack adequate police presence, limiting the force’s ability to respond effectively to rising security threats.

The President also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers as part of a broader push to strengthen national security. The federal government is working with state authorities to modernize police training facilities across the country.

Officials at the meeting 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 Director-General of the DSS Tosin Adeola Ajayi.