By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has said that a total of 11,566 police personnel have been withdrawn from Very Important Persons (VIPs) duties, following a directive by President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, November 23.
Egbetokun further disclosed that the officers are immediately being redeployed to critical policing duties.
He stated this on Thursday, November 27, while addressing journalists in Abuja at a meeting with senior police commanders.
The IGP stressed that the presidential directive withdrawing police personnel from VIPs is a strategic realignment aimed at strengthening frontline policing and protecting vulnerable communities across the country.
He said the decision to recall officers from VIP security duties was not driven by sentiment but by the urgent need to channel manpower to areas where public safety demands are highest.
Egbetokun further noted that the move aligns with the core mandate of the Nigeria Police Force, which is the protection of citizens, communities, and public order.
He said, “In line with the president’s directive, we have withdrawn a total of 11,566 personnel from VIP protection. These officers are being redeployed to critical policing duties immediately.”
According to the IGP, the withdrawal would enable the police to expand manpower deployment for rural and township security, large-scale population protection, intensified patrols, intelligence-led operations, and rapid response to emerging threats.
He assured that detailed guidelines would be released soon and warned that the implementation of the VIP withdrawal directive would be carefully managed to prevent misinformation, impersonation, or exploitation by criminal elements.
“The withdrawal is not a retreat from responsibility, but a reclamation of it,” Egbetokun added.
The police chief pointed at recent security incidents, including abductions in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states, which he said have reinforced the need to reposition the force and strengthen visibility and deterrence across the country.
He said, “We may not be doing enough, but it is not that we are not working. We are actually doing something. But as leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard.”
Egbetokun further directed that with the festive season approaching, all state commands are to activate enhanced patrols, highway visibility operations, and community-focused policing strategies, including the deployment of drones and AI-driven surveillance tools.
He said, “As we approach the festive season, the nation will witness its highest annual travel activity. Citizens returning home to celebrate with family and communities, criminals will seek to exploit the roads.
“Therefore, the roads must be decisively dominated by proactive policing and preparedness. I hereby charge each state command to activate festive deployment and operational plans.
“This will include expanded highway patrol teams, reinforced foot patrol units at motor parks, anti-robbery dragnet patrols on high-traffic roads, intelligence-backed vehicular patrols for rural corridors, and inter-service collaboration patrols to guarantee route safety across all national highways. It will also cover township entry and exit points, market transit routes, and community travel corridors.
“Employ the use of artificial intelligence in policing strategies, including drones and other technical assets. Every command must track operational hours and presence metrics as performance indicators for the December deployment.”
