Tinubu’s VIP Police Withdrawal ‘May Not Go Beyond Rhetoric’, Says Shehu Sani

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s order directing the withdrawal of police officers from Very Important Persons (VIPs), but expressed doubts about its actual enforcement.

In a post on X yesterday, Sani described the directive as a “sound and necessary” policy that aligns with the country’s urgent security realities. He, however, warned that the reform could suffer the fate of previous attempts which failed at the implementation stage.

According to him, “The withdrawal of police from VIPs is a good idea and timely policy statement in view of the nation’s pressing security needs, but it may begin and end up as a statement.”

President Tinubu had, through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, ordered that police officers attached to VIPs be recalled and redeployed to frontline policing duties nationwide.

Under the new structure, individuals requiring personal protection will now apply to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for armed escorts.

The President also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel, in a move the administration says is aimed at boosting presence in underserved rural communities grappling with violent crime and insufficient manpower.

The directive was issued shortly before Tinubu’s closed-door meeting with service chiefs, where operational reviews and internal security priorities were reportedly top on the agenda.