• President Bola Tinubu has ordered police assigned to VIPs to return to core public-security duties.

• The government will recruit 30,000 new officers to reinforce police presence nationwide.

• Nigeria faces escalating security crises, including the kidnapping of more than 300 students in Niger State.

Nigeria has shifted police officers away from VIP protection as the country struggles with worsening security pressures. President Bola Tinubu issued the directive on 23 November, instructing officers to return to what the government calls their “essential duties”.

The presidency said VIPs who still want security escorts must request protection from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps rather than from the police. Officials said the change responds to acute shortages of police personnel in remote regions where many communities lack basic law-enforcement presence.

PRESIDENT TINUBU ORDERS THE WITHDRAWAL OF POLICE OFFICERS GUARDING VIPS FOR CORE POLICE DUTIES

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons in the country.

Henceforth, police authorities… pic.twitter.com/zIkz4qPdFm

— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) November 23, 2025

The order follows a wave of violent incidents. On 21 November, coordinated attacks targeted multiple schools, and the United Nations reported that more than 300 students had been kidnapped in Niger State. Communities in Benue, Plateau and Kebbi also suffered deadly assaults in recent months, highlighting persistent insecurity in the Centre-North and North-West.

The government said several rural police stations operate with insufficient staff, which limits the state’s ability to protect residents. Tinubu approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional officers to reinforce the police nationwide, and Abuja is working with state governments to improve police training infrastructure.

Speaking on Channels Television, Auwal Rafsanjani, executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, urged the government to apply the directive uniformly. “It is concerning that some people still enjoy police escorts, even in clubs and bars, while many communities lack basic police presence. We must address this imbalance,” he said.

This article was initially published in French by Lydie Mobio

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum