President Bola Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) nationwide, directing that they be reassigned to core policing duties in communities.

The directive was issued during a high-level security meeting held on Sunday in Abuja with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs who require protection will henceforth be guarded by armed operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), not the police.

“Many parts of Nigeria, especially remote areas, have few policemen at the stations, thus making the task of protecting and defending the people difficult. In view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities,” the statement read.

Onanuga added that the President has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel, while the Federal Government is working with states to upgrade police training facilities across the country.

Those present at the security meeting included the 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.

Tinubu’s directive comes amid long-standing concerns that Nigeria’s police force is overstretched, with reports indicating that more than 100,000 officers are deployed as escorts to politicians, businessmen, and other VIPs, often at the expense of community policing needs.