IGP Withdraws 11,566 Police Personnel From VIP Protection, Begins Redeployment to Vulnerable Communities

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has announced that 11,566 police officers have been withdrawn from VIP security duties in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to reassign security personnel to critical areas amid rising nationwide insecurity.

Speaking on Thursday during a strategic police officers’ conference in Abuja, the IGP said the redeployment of the withdrawn personnel to underserved and high-risk communities has already commenced.

He described the directive as a strategic realignment of national policing priorities, driven by necessity rather than sentiment.

A Shift Toward Public-Centred Policing

Egbetokun said the newly implemented policy reinforces the core purpose of the Nigeria Police Force — protecting citizens, defending communities, and ensuring public order.

He explained that the withdrawal will enable the Force to refocus manpower on areas where policing is urgently needed, especially communities exposed to violent attacks.

According to him, the redeployment will bolster:

• Population protection operations
• Rural and township security
• Police visibility, patrols, and intelligence response
• Expanded investigative capacity
• Containment of emerging violent threats

“Simply put, this policy ensures that more officers are repositioned from personalised security duties to collective public protection responsibilities,” the IGP stated.

Managing the Transition, Preventing Misinformation

The IGP warned that the directive could be misinterpreted or exploited by individuals seeking political or personal advantage.

To guard against misinformation, he said the Police Force will soon release detailed implementation modalities, including clear timelines, procedures, safeguards, and accountability frameworks.

The release will be made internally first and later communicated to the public through controlled, professional channels to prevent impersonation, disinformation, and attempts to distort the purpose of the exercise.

“This phased approach is necessary to prevent opportunistic actors from weaponising ambiguity or compromising the intent of the initiative,” he said.

Part of Tinubu’s Nationwide Security Emergency

The withdrawal of personnel follows President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, prompted by a surge in kidnappings and terrorist-style attacks across several states.

The President also ordered:

• Additional recruitment into the Nigerian Armed Forces and Police
• Deployment of withdrawn VIP security officers for “crash training”
• Use of NYSC camps as training depots for new security recruits

The combined measures are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s frontline security forces and improve responses to widespread criminal activities.