President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the immediate withdrawal of police personnel attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) nationwide, in a sweeping reform aimed at strengthening security across communities.

The directive was issued on Sunday at a high-level security meeting held at the State House, Abuja, with the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the Chiefs of Army and Air Staff, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) in attendance.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President ordered that officers currently assigned to VIP escorts be redeployed to understaffed police formations, especially in remote areas where citizens remain exposed to criminal attacks.

Under the new arrangement, VIPs who require armed protection are to source such services from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), not the police.

Tinubu, according to the statement, expressed concern that many police stations — particularly in rural communities — operate with inadequate manpower, limiting their ability to respond promptly to security threats.

To reinforce the new security thrust, the President also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers, alongside a planned upgrade of training institutions in collaboration with state governments.

Those at the meeting included Lt-Gen Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Army Staff; Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, Chief of Air Staff; IGP Kayode Egbetokun; and DSS DG Tosin Adeola Ajayi.

The Presidency said the decision forms part of a broader effort to reposition the nation’s security architecture and enhance public safety.