The Nigeria Police Force has deployed a Special Enforcement Team to ensure adherence to President Bola Tinubu’s directive banning the use of police officers for escorting or guarding Very Important Persons (VIPs).
In a statement shared on Saturday via the Force’s X account, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Benjamin Hundeyin announced that the team began a statewide monitoring operation in Lagos on December 6, 2025, starting around 10:00 a.m.
He added that the exercise targeted key locations, including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, the domestic terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and other strategic points throughout the state.
Hundeyin said the monitoring revealed “satisfactory and commendable” adherence to the presidential order, noting that no cases of unauthorised police escort deployment were observed and no arrests were made.
The statement added, “The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, reiterates the Force’s commitment to the full implementation of the presidential directive. The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in redeploying its personnel to core policing duties aimed at enhancing general security, crime prevention, and the protection of lives and property across the country.”
Hundeyin assured the public that the implementation of the policy would continue nationwide “without fear or favour,” and urged citizens to support efforts to build a more efficient, professional, and people-centered policing system.
Recall that President Tinubu ordered that all police officers assigned to provide personal security to VIPs be withdrawn and redeployed to core policing duties.
The President issued the directive during a security meeting held on November 23 in Abuja with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
According to a statement released by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs requiring protection will now be assigned armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead of the police.
The statement added that the aim of the policy is to free up police manpower for frontline duties, particularly in underserved communities, and to strengthen the country’s overall national security response.
