President Bola Tinubu has restated his directive to withdraw police officers from VIP escort duties, warning that no minister or senior government official can retain or request special police protection without his personal approval.
Tinubu made the announcement on Wednesday as he arrived at the Council Chambers for the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. He explained that the new policy aims to free up more police personnel to combat kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism nationwide.
He said he had already informed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) of the directive and cautioned ministries, departments, agencies, and individuals that all security-related requests must now pass through the IGP and receive his clearance.
“If you have any problem of security because of the nature of your assignment, please contact the IGP and get my clearance,” he said.
Tinubu also instructed the Minister of Interior to work with the IGP and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to deploy civil defence officers in place of withdrawn police escorts. This, he said, will ensure that officials with genuine security concerns are not left vulnerable.
